Cyclists & First Aid

[punkedmonkey]

and where do you plan to fit this into the school day.

You may well be a teacher so know more about students timing, but when I was at school (only 6 years ago) we had it as part of PSE in sixth form - and the school saw it as important enough to give over an afternoon to a half day course. But we also had these lessons called "citizenship" - not sure if they are still around, but some of the rubbish in that was aweful (it was about making you a better 'citizen'), if anything First Aid capability has the potential to make you a much better citizen!

On a related topic ... how many of us carry a small first aid kit when cycling?

Ever since the St John Ambulance course (as an aside- their dummies are rigorously maintained, but I tell you I applied much alcohol wipe to the area!) I carry a face shield and gloves in my wallet so have them 99% of the time (someone has caught a glimpse of them and wondered if they were other rubber items in foil packages which amused me). Admittedly I don't carry a bandage - maybe I should...

 

[fimm]

I routinely carry a first aid kit with me on the hills and have been wondering about putting something similar together for the bike (the hillwalking one isn't suitable - it has extra bits in it that wouldn't be appropriate and make it too big). This thread might actually get me to do something about it (though the big question is, could I make it waterproof enough to leave it in with my puncture repair kit on my saddle bag?)

 

[Cringles]

and where do you plan to fit this into the school day.

national curriculum fills the day and then some already.

like the idea but the practicalities are nigh on impossible.

Surely it can be fitted in every now and again, either a few PE classes dedicated to it, or say, drop 1 class a week that won't make a huge difference. I think schools can afford to drop a Home Economic class for 1 day or so a week.

 

[TVC]

I'm the company first aider (refresher due in June). I decided to get involved after my road collision and I felt I owed the people who cared for me something in return. Now I also believe that it should be compulsory at some stage for all those able, imagine if you needed a first aid certificate to get a driving license.....

 

[addictfreak]

and where do you plan to fit this into the school day.

national curriculum fills the day and then some already.

like the idea but the practicalities are nigh on impossible.

Get rid of RE!

 

[crazy580]

At my school, we had a whole day off lessons and the whole of year 10 just did first aid training.

 

[PoliceMadAd]

+1 to 'get rid of RE!'

Worst subject ever

 

[ufkacbln]

[QUOTE 1327633"]
In an interview someone once asked Harry Hill (who used to be a doctor for those who don't know) if A&E was really like casualty with all the shouts of "clear!", CPR and shocking people. He said no, because it doesn't really work.

I've not been in a situation yet where I've had to use CPR but I've been there when it's happening, and have heard many hospital and St John stories about it. No it doesn't work very often, but there are occasions when it has and has saved a life.

People may not be aware, but the stats are so promising about starting treatment on heart attack victims immediately rather than later on that there are programmes to install AEDs (defibrillators) in public places around the country. Many stations now have them, for example. And these days they're so easy to use (you can't go wrong as long as you follow the spoken instructions, and you certainly can't make things worse) that they should be available to untrained people at the sites. The scenes still shown on Casualty about rubbing paddles together and pushing them onto someone are long gone.
[/quote]

Our Trust has a leaflet for patients explaining CPR and the success rate. Most families actually expect the miracles that they see on TV

 

[Bigsharn]

Not first-aid trained myself, but I carry around basic first aid gear. I know how to do the basics like bandaging a broken bone and cleaning and dressing a wound, which is all I can think to need when out on a ride alone.

 

[summerdays]

I agree that it would be a good thing to be taught first aid in school, but might I point out that First Aid certificates only last a certain length of time (3 years IIRC?) and so it is something all of us should be keeping up to date with. I've done at least 3 first aid courses in my life, but the last one was a number of years ago. I really should get a refresher - but the thing is, what I really should do is a Mountain First Aid course, as I do a fair bit of hillwalking. Now that's a remote situation - not "wait 20 minutes for an ambulance" but "wait an hour and more for people to come and carry you out (or a helicopter if it is serious enough/there's one available)". (I appreciate that this does go for mountain biking too.) I think they teach a lot more interventions, such as splinting, on that sort of course, because of the possibility of a much longer wait.

Whilst you should do a 3 year refresher (and I do through work), even remembering some of the basics is better than nothing. There is lots of comments about CPR and how effective it is on this thread but that isn't the only thing that First Aid is. How much kit I carry depends on what I'm doing ... I normally have some form of a basic kit on me - depends which bag to what is in it.

and where do you plan to fit this into the school day.

As someone said why not in PHSE or whatever it is called.

I wouldn't touch a resusci-annie doll if you paid me.

Have you seen the average fat spotty teen in the St Johns Ambulance?

Hey my kids are all at St Johns .. and you do get given those wipes to clean their mouth every time.

 

[2Loose]

[QUOTE 1327648"]
A work colleague once spent 30 minutes doing CPR on a young lad who he knew wasn't coming back, but he carried on because the family were there and he didn't want them to think that no-one had tried. I can understand that.
[/quote]

I know a lady that was told to administer CPR on a young lad who had taken a shot gun blast to the chest, which she did for similiar reasons. Better to try and fail than stand there watching and panicing while waiting for the emergency services.

As to 'how to fit it into the curriculum' - most teachers I speak to would happily change the curriculum for younger kids to get away from 'testing' and more towards 'teaching' again. First Aid is a life skill, watching a 9yr old panic about another forthcoming test isn't.

 

[Peter88]

I am a 1st aider at work on a team of 20 1st aiders in a workplace of 250. We do refreshers every year and are all AED trained.

Have used my skills twice while cycling once on a canal path near Droylsden the daughter of a family group had fallen off her bike and broken her leg, The nearest the ambulance could get was 1/2 mile from where we were.

The other incident was on a group ride from a cruise ship on lanzarote one of the group fell and sprained his wrist and got a cut to his forehead the ride leader was 1st aid trained but effin useless (didn't like blood).

I now always carry a basic kit when riding and have a card in my saddlebag with contact info on it, Also have an ICE contact programmed into my mobile.

 

[pepecat]

I"m a first aider too - did the course last week through work. We get a refresher every three years.

The idea of CPR is only to act as an external pump to get some oxygen round the body whilst you wait for paramedics / other help to arrive. They told us last week that only 3% of people who have only CPR survive, whilst the percentage goes up to 80 something (87% think?) if a defibrillator is used.
Scary.........
You press down a third of the body height (or width) with CPR - height/width from the floor (as the person will be lying down) to the chest. So obviously for a large bloke you'd press down a lot harder than for a slim chap or a child.

There have been instances of people trying to sue for broken ribs after someone had given them CPR - but the judge apparently took the view that 'you were dead... you weren't breathing and there was no pulse. Which would you rather have - that or a couple of broken ribs' and thrown the case out.

 

[ttcycle]

I've been a workplace first aider too- I am envious of you Mr Paul as at one time I considered training to be a paramedic but have not got my driving license yet and to be frank- the shifts and the stress of the job is probably not ideal right now.

I think it's a valuable skill to have - not just CPR but the other stuff too re wound dressings etc.

I sometimes wonder how I would be in situations of high stress- sometimes logical brain kicks in- other times it's just not happened at all!

I wanted to volunteer with the St John's but I think they wanted a 60 hour volunteer commitment for a month which was too much at the time. I'd love to be a cycle responder!

 

[PoliceMadAd]

The ICE thing in a phone is a good idea. I have it in mine, funny thing though, i have my dad as the '3rd ICE' contact, i live in the East Midlands, he lives in Scotland. He'd be down like a shot though if he was the only person available (hols etc).