We are the only species on the planet that has the ability to give CPR and use an AED to potentially save someone’s life. Yet, some of us still don’t attend a first aid training course such as first aid at work.
Throughout the United Kingdom there are over 30,000 cardiac arrests a year outside of hospital, these happen suddenly every day in homes and communities. Perhaps a more worrying statistic is that the report Resuscitation to Recovery, reveals that currently just 8 per cent of patients survive a cardiac arrest in England, and less than half (30-40%) of bystanders intervene when they witness someone collapse rather than administering AED & CPR. If a defibrillator is used promptly, the survival rate could be increased as high as 75%. The chances of successfully using a defibrillator declines at a rate of about 10% with each minute of delay.
An irregular heart beat or cardiac arrest can strike at any time, it doesn’t matter what age you are or if you have no prior history of heart problems. As a result, over recent years the awareness of heart problems and how to treat them has grown. We are beginning to see more people participate in first aid training and do refresher courses, as well as companies having appointed first aiders and AED units in their office. Furthermore, a new initiative began where people started turning old red phone boxes into ‘AED boxes’ allowing people to have a defibrillator close to home.
The places and circumstances in which people can become ill have no set environment, time or pattern everything is completely sporadic. That is why it’s important to always be prepared.
You don’t have to search very far online to find stories about people being saved by an AED or CPR having suffered a cardiac arrest. The frequency of stories available online corresponds with the realisation that most of us will know or witnessed someone who has suffered from a heart condition in their life. All of the stories from people that have suffered whether posted online or told in person share one thing in common, a testimony outlining the importance of an AED and CPR in saving their life. Ultimately, urging more people to receive the necessary training and locate an AED.
A woman was out shopping in Sainsburys on Christmas Eve with her husband and children when she suddenly stopped breathing and collapsed. Luckily for her an on-duty paramedic was refuelling at the petrol station and able to arrive within minutes. As well as this there was an off-duty paramedic doing their shopping at the same time and a PCSO patrolling the local area. Despite all of these first aiders being present, they still required an AED which Sainsburys purchased just 3 months before this incident took place. Sarah Ulph a paramedic who reported to the scene said “If you’re going to have a cardiac arrest you wouldn’t want to have one in any better circumstances! Someone has been looking down on her without a doubt”. This statement is hard to disagree with and makes you wonder, if you needed an AED or a first aider where would your closest one be?
At Seven Training we don’t want your training to purely be a box ticking exercise, we want you to gain real value from your training. Our courses are designed to be engaging and enjoyable, allowing you to practice your new skills and memorise what you should do in an emergency situation.
Our first aid courses include:
- First aid at work
- Emergency first aid at work
- Basic life support and safe use of an AED
- Roadside first aid for professional drivers
- Emergency First Aid At Work for Professional Drivers
We also sell automated external defibrillators (AED), these can be purchased as a single item or in a bundle with first aid training included.
