
People often don’t consider the importance of basic first aid education. There are numerous reasons why people put it off.
- They don’t have the time
- They don’t know where to begin
- They don’t believe that accidents will ever happen to them or those close to them
- They think they already have enough knowledge should the need arise
Helps to save lives.
A trained person is more reliable, confident and in control of themselves when an emergency arises. People who are trained are more likely to to take immediate action in an emergency situation.
It allows the rescuer to provide the victim comfort.
Having someone trained in first aid can bring immediate relief to the patient. Being calm and assessing the situation helps the patient relax while their injuries are being treated and stabilized until emergency personnel arrive.
It gives you tools to prevent the situation from becoming worse.
In some situations if a patient doesn’t receive basic first aid care immediately their situation will deteriorate – often rapidly. By being able to provide basic care you can stabilize a patient until emergency medical services arrives. You’ll learn how to use basic household items as tools if a first aid kit is not available meaning that you’ll be able to cope with many situations.
You’ll also be trained in how to collect information and data about what happened and the patients’ condition. This information will be passed on to the emergency services, which saves them time – you will be a valuable link in the chain of survival.
It creates the confidence to care.
Having a basic first aid knowledge means that you’ll be confident in your skills and abilities in relation to first aid administration. By taking first aid training, it helps you to reflect on yourself and how you and others react in certain situations. Having this understanding will boost your confidence in a wide range of non-medical day to day situations.
It encourages healthy and safe living.
A trained person is better able to assess their surroundings. Knowledge of first aid promotes the sense of safety and well-being amongst people. Having an awareness and desire to be accident free keeps you safer and reduces the number of causalities and accidents.
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.
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 lifesaving 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.
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.
READ MORE: What Is A Road Safety Product And How Do They Help?
Safety at work starts with you!