Emergency first aid at work

The British Red Cross, St John Ambulance and the British Heart Foundation, who have formed the Every Child a Life Saver Coalition, have been trying to persuade the British Government to make First Aid training part of the curriculum as 59% of deaths from injuries could be stopped if more people learn basic first aid. At Truro School we are already addressing this by offering the Upper Sixth the chance to gain a certificate in basic first aid – ‘Emergency first aid at work’ – as part of their general studies.

The pupils take part in a continuous assessed six week course. By the end they can manage an incident and treat a casualty whether they are suffering from shock, heart attack, cardiac arrest, broken bones, illness or choking on some food.

One of the students has already had to use the training and told us that all of a sudden when faced with a real life situation what he had learnt became invaluable.