First Aid Skills Save Mom’s Life
A schoolboy was hailed a hero after using first aid training learned at school to save his mother when she collapsed and gashed her head at the family home.
Twelve-year-old Brandon Flanighan stayed calm and remembered the lifesaving lessons from the young first-aider course after he and his sister Lara, 13, found their mum Jacqueline, 44, lying semi-conscious in a pool of blood in the kitchen.
They pulled her onto the sofa, where Brandon put her in the recovery position and raised her legs, all the time talking to her to keep her awake and stop her from passing out again.
Brandon applied pressure to his mum’s bleeding head wound with a clean tea towel – while Lara called for help – and stayed with her until his dad James, 44, and an ambulance crew arrived, giving paramedics a detailed description of what had happened.
Now Brandon, who did the first aid course at Newminister Middle School in Morpeth, before Christmas, has been nominated by the St John Ambulance service for a national award which recognises young people who have used the training to help save a life in a real emergency.
The drama unfurled when Jacqueline, a legal secretary at a Morpeth solicitors’ firm, got up early at the family home in Pegswood, where she was recovering from a foot operation.
She was walking into the kitchen when she collapsed to the floor, suffering concussion and a gash to the head.
She was found by her children about 15 minutes later, lying in a pool of blood.
It was then that Brandon calmly utilised the training he had received on the St John Ambulance Northumbria first aid course.
Yesterday Jacqueline said: “My head was bleeding profusely and I was drifting in and out of consciousness.
If Brandon hadn’t been there, having done the St John Ambulance course and knowing exactly what to do, I could have died.
“I am so proud of him and I can’t speak about it without crying. I would love him to get recognition for what he has done, and I would urge any parent whose child is given the chance to take part in this wonderful course to seize the opportunity with both hands.
“These are skills which really can save a life, and which everyone should know.” James, a chef at Longhirst Hall near Morpeth, had left early for work on the day of the drama, leaving Brandon and Lara to cope alone when their mum collapsed and hit her head on the floor.
Jacqueline, who is diabetic, said: “I was aware of Lara’s voice and I felt the coldness of the floor.
“In my head I assumed I was dead and in a morgue. I was in pain and was sure I must have died. Lara called Brandon and pulled me onto the sofa.
“He came into the room and was so calm and immediately started talking to me, telling me what had happened and what he was about to do.
“I just wanted to go to sleep but obviously his training had taught him that because of my head injury that would be really dangerous, and to keep me awake. I didn’t realise at the time how brilliant my children were, but looking back they were amazing.
“There was a lot of blood and it was a very scary situation, and yet my son transformed into this calm young man talking to me and acting as if he were a trained doctor.
“All I have is a bump on my head and a scar. Without Brandon who knows if I would even be here.”
Brandon has been nominated for the national award by Peter Lane, schools’ liaison officer for St John Ambulance Northumbria.
He said: “Brandon behaved brilliantly and did exactly what he was trained to do.
“His story is a real indication of why first aid is so important and how it can potentially be the difference between life and death.”
First Aid Kit Organization
Today’s article is a timely one. In the middle of winter when one begins to think of spring cleaning. What better way to put first aid first than to organize your home first aid kit. As I was reading here, the first aid kit does not necessarily need to be in the bathroom, as so many have it stored. If they have a first aid kit, that is, and not just a medicine cabinet with some bandages stuffed in amongst the cosmetics, hair spray, and excess shampoos.
an excerpt from the article encourages us, “…the key to functional organization of any area, and especially one that can get as hard to manage as a household medicine cabinet, is to store items in a practical place, in accordance with who lives in your household…”
Begin to organize your first aid kit with these helpful, timely tips for first aid kit organization.
Learn Triage and First Aid
Today’s article from Rome Newswire shows the effectiveness of first aid training. The trainer, a former nail salon owner, is passing on her knowledge of first aid to others, and the response is – pay it forward. Many people who put first aid first do decide to carry their knowledge forward to teach others. Read the full article, and pick up some first aid tips as well as, perhaps, an encouragement to put first aid first in your life this new year.
Article:
Students at the second part of the Community Emergency Response Team training program learned Saturday that there are three kinds of bleeding — arterial, venous, capillary — and how to treat a bloody wound.
“It’s very interesting and very educational,” said Edward Washington, who is taking part in the certification program so he can later teach other members of Lovejoy Baptist Church what he learned. “I plan to take an instructors course in March so hopefully I can instruct others.”
The CERT instructor explained the differences in the types of bleeding like so: Arterial bleeding is what victims in slasher movies experience, with bright red blood squirting from the wound; venous bleeding is when a vein is cut, causing a slower flow of darker blood; and capillary bleeding is must less serious, like road rash or a bad carpet burn.
The more than 30 students were taught to apply direct pressure to the wound, then elevate the wound if possible, and to squeeze a pressure point to slow the flow of blood to the wound. They also learned how to apply different kinds of bandages.
Cheryl Zirkelbach looked to be well practiced when the students paired up try out what they learned, and with good reason. Zirkelback is currently working on a master’s degree in emergency management at Jacksonville State University and is an intern at the local Emergency Managment Agency.
“I needed this experience. I needed to be out there and have the hands-on experience,” she said.
A former nail salon owner, Zirkelbach decided to go to college and ended up graduating from Shorter College with three bachelor’s degrees (communications, history and Spanish). She said she hopes to work in emergency management once she earns her master’s, and she’s open to working anywhere in the world.
“There’s always going to be a another disaster or another war somewhere,” she said.
Students learned how to treat other wounds as well Saturday, such as burns, breaks, sprains, shock and airway obstruction.
“They’re going to learn to triage,” said Vicki Wiles, CERT coordinator and a former student herself.
The program began last weekend with search and rescue training and will conclude Feb. 7 with a training exercise during which the students will have to put out fires, aid victims and treat simulated wounds.
“The search and rescue, that’s one of the hardest things,” said Zirkelbach. “When you’re going into a building and it’s dark and smokey you can get lost really easily.”
First Aid Lessons Save a Life
First Aid lessons save a life - and the life they save could be your own. Many a time we hear this, but this woman in the UK took it to heart. An article in the paper, http://www.thisisexeter.co.uk/ tells it quite well. And we realize, once again, that first aid first does save lives. Be encouraged as you read the full article here.
A PAINTER and decorator helped save the life of a customer thanks to skills she learned through family first aid lessons.
The mother-of-four, who also lives in Honiton, said: “I was just coming back from my parked van to the house when I heard a tremendous thud.
“I ran into the house and there was Peter collapsed in the hallway. He had said earlier that he was not feeling too well.
“I checked and could not find a pulse and he was very white. I carried out first aid procedures and put him in the recovery position while Audrey called the emergency services.
“I am so glad I knew some first aid otherwise it would have been terrible not knowing what to do.”
Lisa learned first aid with her husband Richard, 37, who is a Devon and Somerset retained firefighter in their home town of Honiton and is a full-time fireman at Exeter Airport.
She said: “With four children aged eight to 13 we thought it essential to learn first aid and fire drills and so forth and certainly this proved so useful on this occasion.”
Richard said: “Lisa did very well and it goes to show just how important it is to know first aid. You never know when it will make all the difference.
“The first few minutes in most incidents are the most crucial and it would be terrible if you did not know what to do.”
The patient, who is in his 70s, is currently at the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital and tests are being conducted to find out what caused his illness.
St John Ambulance had this advice to offer regarding emergency first aid.
“As a first aider the priorities when dealing with a casualty are always the same — ABC: airway, breathing, circulation. A primary survey of a casualty will establish your priorities.
“When dealing with an unconscious casualty you should open and maintain their airway as your first priority. If the airway should become obstructed, possibly by the tongue falling to the back of the throat, then the casualty will be unable to breathe and this will lead to death if untreated.
“If the casualty is breathing, the simple procedure of placing the casualty into the recovery position should ensure that the airway will remain clear of obstructions.
“If the casualty has stopped breathing you can assist them by performing a combination of chest compressions and rescue breaths.
“You breathe out enough oxygen to potentially keep the casualty alive until the emergency services arrive.
“The oxygen you breathe in will need to then be pumped around the body using chest compressions.
“It is important to remember that in any life threatening situation the emergency services should be called as soon as breathing or absence of breathing has been identified.”
First Aid Lessons Save a Life
Stock Your First Aid Kit
Today’s article shows the importance of putting first aid first before you go out in to the back country. Ideas on what to include in your first aid kit, and also a link to a prepared first aid kit that has many necessary items all in a handy kit.
Putting first aid first is important in this winter season in North America for those of us who venture out of doors.
Stock your first-aid kit
- Idaho Statesman Edition Date: 01/15/09
A First Aid Kit
A first-aid kit should contain:
- An easy-to-follow first-aid instruction booklet that explains how to handle basic problems.
- Assorted adhesive bandages, athletic tape and moleskin.
- Basic drugs and lotions, such aspirin, antiseptic, antacid tablets, sunscreen and any prescription medicines.
- Tweezers, a small mirror, razor blade or knife.
- A bee-sting kit, venom-extraction pump, wipes, plastic gloves and eye pads.
- For extended trips, you should consider packing additional items like extra bandages, drugs and ointments.
Source: REI