first aid training?

[D.W.B]

two nights ago at about 3.00 am i came upon a serious accident in the middle of nowhere.
there were two people in seperate vehicles involved ,one had obviously expired.
the other was seriously injured and needed immediate attention.i tried to call for help but i didnt have cell service (fucking rogers).luckily enough the vehicle i was driving was sattelite equipped and i was able to contact someone to get help. it took approx 45 min for help to arrive and it seemed like an eternity.
i have never been in a more frustrating situation,this person needed help and i didnt have a clue what to do so i just stood there and looked at this poor soul and did nothing.
the paramedics (those guys are amazing) told me i did the right thing by just securing the scene from fire etc and leaving the victim alone as i may have done more harm than good had i attempted first aid but i still felt like i had failed this person somehow.
the police officer that responded told me that only 2% of the population has first aid training and that if everyone took a course hundreds of lives could be saved each year although in this case there was nothing that could have been done to help this person.
i have vowed to never let myself get into such a situation again by taking a first aid course but i dont know where to start.
any info regarding any kind of first aid training will be greatly appreciated.
i know there has to others that this has happened to so help me out.
thanks in advance and sorry about the depressing thread,next one will be about tits and ass.

 

[Jodie]

Take Standard First Aid and CPR-C. Of all the Standard First Aid courses available (Red Cross, St. John, Ambulance, Lifesaving Society, etc.), I think Red Cross offers the best course. It usually includes CPR-C, but if you have no previous experience in this department, I'd recommend taking the CPR-C course first, so that you are not overwhelmed by all the information presented in the Standard First Aid course. Take an extended course (i.e. 4x 4hr classes, once per week) as opposed to a crash-course (i.e. a weekend), as you will have more time to absorb the information that way.

Standard First Aid needs to be recertified every 3 years (with the exception of the Lifesaving Society course, which I believe is only good for 2 years), and CPR-C needs to be recertified every year.

 

[Swguy]

Look here... St. John's Ambulance or here... Canadian Red Cross.

There are many places to get trained in first aid, but it all starts here. Anyone who is a first aid instructor has most likely been certified by St. John's Ambulance or the Red Cross.

The paramedic was correct in saying that you did the right thing by doing nothing. Unless you are a trained paramedic, basic first-aid would not have helped you in this situation. Plus, although I haven't yet heard of it here in Canada, sometimes the person you help may bring legal actaion against you if something went wrong withthe assistance you gave the person.

I understand your desire to want to help, but you also have to protect yourself. Its sad to say it, but sometimes being the Good Samaritan can get you in hot water.


SWG

 

[IQof10]

http://www.sja.ca/bc/

 

[BigEye]

DWB,
you did what probably 90% of the general pop would NOT.
ie: you stayed to help, I commend you for that, most will just continue on their way & maybe call when they get home!
as HiFi says, the Good Samaratan Act (it's here in AB also) will cover you legally. but remember to ASK FIRST IF ASSISSTANCE IS REQUIRED!. if the person is unconcouis (spelling?), this is deemed as yes - you can apply first aid to the best of your abilities. Good luck to you!

BE

 

[DJLAW]

DWB,

i was in the same situaition about 5 1/2 years ago. none of the people in that accident died and help came much faster than 45 mins (OMG! that is a really long time.) but i had the same helpless feeling.

i have been a first aid attendant for 5 years now.

all of the advice on this thread is bang on.

i went through SJA. it is a very good course with really good instructors who (usually) go beyond what they have to.

 

[niteowl]

I was told in my Sports First Aid course if you do come upon an accident and the person(s) are in a threat of death and you end up injuring the person(s) further while rescuing them then you would be covered in the Good Sammaitan Act.

 

[Creole Lady Marmalade]

If they are still around:

ABC or Traumatech

 

[VicGuy36]

If you came across them when unconscious or if they agreed that they needed help, then the Good Samaritan Act would protect you (Good Samaritan Act: http://www.qp.gov.bc.ca/statreg/stat/G/96172_01.htm). But if they're conscious ask them if they need help first--otherwise it's assault.

I had Red Cross First Aid training once--was a good course. It will not prepare you for everything though. It will prepare you for household accidents, broken limbs, your best buddy choking on a Ceaser Salad or a hunk of steak, and someone having heart problems.

However about 6 years after I had the training a bad single vehicle accident happended outdide my home. I called 911, the wait for the ambulance seemed like an eternity. I had forgotten most of my training, and basically froze. Which in the the end didn't matter. The only injured party (the passenger, not the apparently impaired driver) had a broken neck and had serious cardiac problems when the ambulance attendants arrived. According to the investigating officer with whom I spoke a couple of weeks later, his family had him removed from life support. And apparently, given his injuries, there was nothing I could have done to help him out. In one sense nice to know, but in another made for a few shitty days.

And the impaired driver? Well, the cops were unable to give him a breathalyzer within the (then) 2 hour window of driving (and over .08 isn't proof of impairment anyway), and as he himself was a bit banged up in the crash, his impairment at the sceen couldn't be proven to be caused by alcohol or drugs. So although charged with "impaired causing death" (a Criminal Ciode Offense which usually results in jail)--on the day of his trial he plead out to a Motor Vehicle Act offence, got a $2K fine, 10 points, and a driving prohibition for a few months. I was in court for that. (I had been subpoenaed as a witness, and though I was notified a day or so before that there was going to be no trial, I was interested in the outcome.)

 

[matthew the hun]

all good advise to this thread

i am a first aid attendant in the oil and gas industry as well as a safety officer. I too found myself in a situation similar to your in that i attended a serious accident and felt helpless as an untrained bystander...since then i have used that as motivation to further my training and have been a volunteer fire fighter, and a volunteer with Saint John Ambulance. I have taken many courses of training in the past 10 years and hold advanced first aid tickets in 2 provinces now. While on the fire department i attended several MVA calls, one of them a fatality....even at that level of training and with the proper equipment there was still a sense of frustration that we could not save the life.....so take heart.....even the pro's lose sometimes....you did the best you could and without you the patient would have been worse off. Just being a human presence is sometimes the best thing for the injured person so they know they are not alone in their time of need. As for the liability, as long as you do your best in good faith to the level of your training you should not be held responsible. it is my understanding that the Good Sameritan law is actually a federal mandate so it is good Canada wide. And to comment on forgetting your training if you do not use it often, i will answer the same way i do to students new to the field when they ask my advise about the same thing: if you do nothing but sustain the ABC's (airway,breathing,circulation) of the person you are trying to help you have probably saved their life. I hope this has encouraged you....take some training and the next time you will at least feel prepared....there will be a next time....there always is.....we need more people out there that care like you though so be encouraged that at least i have respect for you trying.

 

[LonelyGhost]

I was both an industrial first-air attendant and an instructor and first want to say that what you did was excellent! the MOST important thing (and one SO MANY people forget) is to GET HELP!

the first thing we taught people to say was: "you, call an ambulance and report back to me ..."

since you were the only guy on the scene, your first priority was to call for help!

The second is to remember A-B-C

Airway
Breathing
Circulation

If someone is breathing on their own (and screamers are the ones you can ignore -- if they have the energy to scream, they don't need your help as much as the one who is quiet) then look for bleeding ... direct pressure is the best -- don't start wrapping things around wounds because the ambulance people will just have more work!

If someone is NOT breathing, then check their airway (no, they CANNOT swallow their tongue, it just slides back into their mouth and blocks the airway) and start mouth-to-mouth ...

After you get about 10 good breaths into them, check for a pulse. If they don't have one, do CPR ... if they do, check their breathing and keep going and checking their pulse.

As for the rest -- forget about it! Really, do not start trying to fix people who have been injured because you can do more harm than good.

Finally, unless the car is actually in flames or it isn't safe, leave the person in the car as you found them and perform MTM or CPR ... yes, it can be done, its not as easy or effective, but again, moving them increases the risk of further injury to them and you!

By all means, take the courses, they are wonderful and will help to increase your confidence and knowledge, but remember that your first priority is to get help and to do no harm.

By that criteria I'd give you 100%!