Is First Aid Training Important in Schools?

If there is one place that should have the priority in first aid training is a school setting. The active life of a human being is the childhood age.

Just like me, I’m pretty sure you must have had an accident or two.

It’s never anybody’s’ your fault, it all trickles down to age.

The School life hustle and bustle often result in children colliding with one another, tripping, staircase falls and other severe accidents such as drowning in a school swimming pool.

I’m sure you didn’t drown… so you are reading this right now.

These accidents normally result in slight injuries or severe ones, so first aid comes handy. The first-aiders will be able to access the situation to handle what they can or call emergency help where the case gets out of hand.

What is First Aid?

First aid is the immediate and initial help given to anyone who suffers injury or sudden illness to intervene the condition from getting worse while awaiting professional help. First aid in the worst state can be the ‘last straw’ in saving a life.

This is an age-old practice. For example, in Ancient Rome, the Roman legions in the early Roman Army (500 BC) had a particular slave known as ‘capsarii.’ The specific role of this slave was to perform first aid activities such as bandaging the injured soldiers.

Jean-Henri Dunant was moved to form Red Cross after witnessing the results of the Battle of Solferino in 1859. The purpose was to assist the wounded and the sick soldiers out there in the war field. The large first aid organization started then stands strong till today. 

Why First Aid Training in Schools?

School children are at high risk of incurring injuries whether slight or severe through accidents. Besides easing the situation and preventing health conditions getting worse after an emergency, first aid can save a life.

Equipping students with basic first aid skills by giving them first aid and CPR training is essential due to the following reasons.

  • Reducing mortality rate through schools accidents

According to an article by CDC of December 7, 2001, “Approximately two-thirds of all deaths among children and adolescents aged 5–19 years result from injury-related causes.

In addition, schools can teach students the skills needed to promote safety” Probably, these are some of the cases that can be prevented through first aid action.

According to St John Ambulance, 140,000 people who could have survived sudden illness and injuries end dying every year due to lack of adequate and immediate first aid.

Apart from saving a life, immediate first aid can reduce the recovery time by correcting what could have been worse leading to disability.

Doing this is observing the “Three P’s” which every first aider should use while administering first aid. These are; Preserve life, Prevent further injury, and Promote recovery.

  • Giving students first aid skills

Having first aid skills would not only be beneficial in school life but, the entire life of a person. An adult with first aid skills gained from school training would be an advantage in their home and the society as well.

  • First aid training is training to care with confidence

Any first aider is a caregiver. First aid training as early as the school age is creating a society that cares. In addition to that, a student who has first aid skills will be confident in administering first aid when the situation calls for it. 

  • Getting skills to self-safe living and healthy living

One of the modules in first aid training is to self-care. The trainees will learn to take care of themselves and prioritize their safety at all times.

Being safe is being in a position and ability to help others. Living healthy is another aspect of first aid training. Students are taught ways of staying healthy and living a healthy lifestyle.

A sick first-aider in bed would definitely be unable to administer any first aid or CPR when an emergency occurs. Staying healthy is making others healthy.

What Does First Aid Training for Schools Entails?

Unlike training a full-time first-aider who must comprehensively cover every detail pertaining to first aid, the student’s training touches the basic fundamental and yet vital skills. In most cases, the student’s first aid training would cover:

  • How to check the safety of an area that the emergency has occurred
  • Learning how to be calm and think soberly before undertaking the first aid
  • Learning how to contact the emergencies services while talking to the casualty to keep them alert
  • Learning how to get details of the casualty’s condition and describing them
  • Getting first aid CPR training
  • What to do for cuts, scrapes or burns
  • What to do while applying pressure to a bleeding wound
  • How to tie a bandage to an open wound
  • What to do to ease an allergy reaction
  • What to do in a nose bleeding case

How Does First Aid Training for Children Impact the Society?

According to the Red Cross, Children between the ages 5 and 11 should have basic first aid skills for their sake as well as for the society. They can learn how to stay safe and how to deal with emergency situations by helping others.

Starting the culture of empowering children with first aid and CPR training as early as five years old could create confidence in them. With skills and confidence, they will be in a position of helping their schoolmates, their families, and anyone else who might need their assistance in time of emergency.

After growing up, today’s confident children will turn out to be responsible, confident, and caring adults of tomorrow. With this kind of society, everyone would be skilled to help others with first aid on an emergency. Having done that, the statistics of 140,000 fatalities would be no more.

Wrap –up

Parents should not be left behind as well. Everyone should have these skills since emergencies do not alert anyone before they happen. You may be needed at a place where an emergency has occurred. Imagine how helpless you can feel by being unable to administer first aid to the casualties. You can learn these skills by yourself without visiting any college or institution.

All you need is the first aid training online, and you can get the necessary skills through first aid and CPR training which is vital in most emergencies or when called to do so. It is never too late to start. The right time is now. Go for it.