It was a month after attending a first aid course that the manager of a club in the Illawarra area was suddenly confronted with having to put his first aid skills into practice. An elderly patron had just won a prize on the pokies and in his excitement choked on the beer and nuts he was drinking.
The man fell unconscious after suffering a heart attack which provoked the manager into action. Recently acquired skills in CPR were applied and he was soon joined by another staff member who had done the course with him. Between them, they continued CPR until the arrival of paramedics who successfully defibrillated the elderly man after 2 shocks.
Regrettably underpinning heart problems resulted in him having a major heart attack some 3 weeks later from which he didn’t recover. Nevertheless, it was a positive experience for the manager and co-worker who bought the man an extra few weeks during which time he could get his “house in order”. Both rescuers felt their recently acquired skills helped save a life and even the trainer felt “awesome” that his training helped prolong a person’s life.
For more information on first aid courses, visit Medilife