Why is First Aid important?

Why is First Aid Important?

First Aid knowledge is invaluable for both you as the individual and for your community. It enables you to assist persons who become injured in the event of an accident or emergency situation until help arrives. First Aid skills can be applied in the home, the workplace or in public locations, therefore the more First Aid certified people there are in a community the safer that community becomes.

Becoming First Aid certified not only benefits you as an individual but it extends to your family, friends, co-workers and even the community as a whole. As unpleasant as it is to talk about, accidents and emergency situations are not completely preventable or unavoidable.

If an accident happens in the workplace, in your home or in a public space, being a helpless witness to an emergency situation can potentially worsen the situation. This is why it is very important for as many people as possible to have at least a basic knowledge of First Aid.

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In its most basic form, First Aid is the initial assistance given to a victim of injury or illness. Basic First Aid knowledge is comprised of relatively simple techniques and procedures that can be performed with limited equipment and is typically carried out until professional medical assistance arrives.

The importance of First Aid is hard to overestimate. The largest benefits of First Aid are:

1. It allows those trained with the potentially life saving ability to assist an injured or ill person during a variety of emergency situations. In situations such as someone ingests a harmful substance, suffers from a heart attack, a seizure or stroke, is involved in a motor vehicle accident or is caught in a natural disaster, a person trained and knowledgeable in even the very basics of First Aid can be of extreme importance in assisting the injured person(s) until emergency responders arrive. The more people that are First Aid trained and knowledgeable the more the community as a whole benefits.
2. Knowledge in First Aid benefits the individuals themselves regardless of whether an emergency affects them directly or involves people they live and work with. First Aid can and often lessens the severity of an emergency in a given time and place.
3. While everyone can benefit from First Aid knowledge and training it is an even greater benefit to those working or living with individuals who require ongoing special attention or treatment such as children, persons with physical or mental disabilities, persons with chronic illness, persons with disorders such as epilepsy, the elderly, persons involved in recreational activities such as swimming or people working in dangerous environments such as a factory or construction site.

Many businesses require all or a minimum amount of employees to be trained in First Aid and the type and extent of the training depends on the specifics of the job. However, anyone working in high-risk environments should have basic First Aid knowledge regardless of employer requirement.

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Accidents will always happen despite any measure of preventative procedure and care. Because of this, individuals who are properly trained and with the the correct equipment are a huge help in ensuring better safety for everyone. Without proper First Aid, a simple injury could become severe and in some cases fatalities can occur as a result of lack of immediate medical treatment. First Aid does not just promote faster recovery it helps save lives.