Hello first aid friends! Sorry for the lapse in the blog posts. It has been awhile I must admit! Nevertheless we have something new up our sleeves and for this September the 11th, we are proud to announce our One Heart Mass CPR Event 2010. Registration is free for everyone! Visit www.masscpr.org for more information! See you there!

Saufee
Training Manager
Singapore First Aid Training Centre

My first public call was right about 2 years later, when I was having coffee with a bunch of my friends at a coffee shop neaby home. It was during that time amid our chit chat that we heard a loud bang. I turned around to see what the commotion was, and in a split second, I ran towards where the loud bang occured. A motorcycle rider had just collided with a car.
It was a pretty sad story though (but he lived). He had just dropped off a friend about 30 metres from where the accident happened. Right after that, as he rode off, a black car made an illegal U-turn, cutting off the rider’s route, thus causing an accident which he was thrown off from his bike, about 5 metres away.
I reacted upon my paramedic training by the time I arrived, checking the ABCs, and he’s fine. But because this is a road traffic accident, by all means I can’t move him. All I could do was to ensure that he was fine and talking to me all these while.
It was during the process that I realized how people’s intentions to help could mean death to the rider. A couple of guys wanted to remove his helmet, which I told them not to. Being the only first aider on the scene, I told them that I was and they respected me for what I’m trained for and left me to aiding the rider, and helping me cordone off passing vehicles so as to not clog up the traffic on the road. 2 minutes later, an auntie even offered some water to the rider, but I told her not to, as doing so could cause him to choke.
When the ambulance arrived, I was relieved that proper help was finally at hand to assist and tend to the injured rider.
If I wasn’t there, the rider wouldn’t have received proper initial aid. And this could have been potentially fatal to him.

Raihan
Marketing Exec
Singapore First Aid Training Centre

Hi, my name is Junardy and I’m a trainer with the Singapore First Aid Training Centre.

In a recent query from a course participant, he had told me that he received an email in which many people here in Singapore had received also. It was stated in the email that whenever someone has a heart attack, he or she should cough out heavily.

This is not advisable as what we should actually do is to give out medications and monitor his or her condition by looking out for signs and symptoms such as sweaty and pale skin. In which call for the ambulance immediately, if the casualty goes unconscious, and if the casualty is not breathing, start CPR.

938 Live Interview with Abdul Rasheed Doad, Training Director of Singapore First Aid Training Centre. Listen to it now!

03/11/09 A matter of life and death

Every second counts in a medical emergency.

And basic knowledge in first aid, which includes cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR can help save precious lives.

However, the Singapore First Aid Training Centre says about 80 per cent of cardiac arrest victims who need CPR do not receive it.

As a result, the survival rate of sudden cardiac arrest victims here is less than three per cent.

This is very low – considering their survival rate is 15 times better in the United States.

So why aren’t many Singaporeans receiving first aid at times when they need it most?

Shaffiq Alkhatib finds out.

TITLE: 03/11 First Aid

===========

Fifty-eight year old wellness coach, Ash Phua had a near-death experience ten years ago.

The fitness buff had just completed an evening jog near his home.

“I was staying at Pasir Ris at that time, and just opposite my flat is Seashell Park and they’ve got a 400-metre track. And to go up to the track, you’ve got to climb 76 steps. I did my warm-up, I did my main exercise. I think that day, I did 12 rounds which is 4.8 kilometers. But while walking down the steps, I felt a chill all over. After going down a few more steps, I felt giddy. I sat down on the steps and held on to the railing.”

Mr Phua says, he picked himself up and tried to make his way home.

But he collapsed near a traffic light, a stone’s throw away from his flat.

“I lost total consciousness. The next moment, I head a lady screaming, ‘Oi! Fifteen minutes already. When is your ambulance coming? This guy is dying on me.’ All I could do was just listen to her. I could not react, I could not do anything.”

He only regained consciousness in hospital.

A doctor told him that he had suffered his first heart attack.

He wouldn’t be alive if not for one Alice Poon who called the ambulance and an unknown man who performed CPR on him before the ambulance arrived.

“She happened to be in a cab with her son. While the taxi was approaching the traffic light, she told the driver, ‘I think a man is lying down there.’ And the taxi driver stopped. And according to her, while she was with me, she called the ambulance and there was a guy, some passer-by who came and the man did CPR on me. But he did not wait for the ambulance to come. She did not know who he was but he did that and he left.”

Mr Phua says his brush with death increased his awareness on the importance of learning simple first aid skills and CPR.

He is now trained in them and encourages others to do likewise.

Abdul Rasheed Doad, is the founder of the Singapore First Aid Training Centre.

“Statistics show that about 30 thousand people are trained each year. But we have a hunch that there is a lot more than 30 thousand. Our centre alone trains close to ten thousand a year, and there are a couple other centres around Singapore. Most of people who sign up for first aid courses here, they are either sent by their companies, or they need to do it because of requirements in their industries. For example, you are a coach, you need to have a first aid certificate. Less than two percent come to us on their own accord just to learn first aid for their own benefit or for their family’s benefit. In other countries, they actually do first aid training right from a very young age. Sometimes, even the education system embraces first aid training.”

Mr Abdul Rasheed hopes that schools would in future make learning first aid skills mandatory.

“Number one on the list is definitely CPR. Especially with our ageing population, people are more prone to getting cardiac arrest. Doing the Heimlich manoeuvre – helping someone who’s choking, which is very simple but is life-saving. Stopping bleeding and simple things like treating burns or bruises. Where we come from, a lot of people think that they should put some toothpaste on a burn, or put some soya sauce even – whereas, you can just treat burns with water.”

Mr Abdul Rasheed also highlights another problem; people who’ve been trained but won’t step forward in an emergency.

“People fear two things. One is stepping forward and helping. And the other is, they feel they are not the right person to help. Probably, they will just wait for the doctor or paramedic to arrive and help. Definitely, every one should know a little bit about first aid – at least the basics. Most importantly is to help them address their fears, because even though you have the skills, you might just freeze up and not act because emergencies can be scary. That must be addressed on a large scale.”

This can be done via outreach initiatives such as forums and talks, says Mr Abdul Rasheed.

For example, his centre conducted a course called “My True Hero” earlier this year which focused on encouraging first aiders to come forward to help in an emergency.

Participants who’ve attended the course have given it the thumbs up.

One of them’s, Mr Cheng who works in the construction industry,

He says the course has boosted his confidence and now he truly believes that he can save lives.

I’m Shaffiq Alkhatib for 938 LIVE. Read the rest of this entry

Article written by Mr Mohamed Saufee, Lead Trainer of Singapore First Aid Training Centre on CPR for the Human Capital. Read it below:

The video here shows you how to help a child who is choking using the abdominal thrust method. This is the recommended method by the National Resuscitation Council.

You need to first ensure that a child is choking. A person who is choking has complete blockage of the airway and will not be able to speak, breathe or cough. Frequently, they will be grasping their throat – what is commonly known as the Universal Sign of Choking. When you see these signs, you must immediately perform amdomonal thrusts as shown in the video.

Continue to the abdominal thrusts until the object is dislodge or the child turns unconscious (which you will need to proceed with CPR, with the exception of a mouth check before giving breaths).

Even if the object is dislodge it is still recommended for the child to bring the child to the emergency room for further assessment.

We hope that this video has helped you understand the steps of choking better. To get frequent updates and tutorials on first aid and CPR, fill in the form below:

Share your real first aid story and make a difference.

Have you ever had a real first aid encounter?

You may have a real life first aid experience. Sharing your experience with others can help them understand what it would really be like to be in a first aid situation.

And its even better when you’ll be rewarded for your story!

We’re looking for the BEST first aid / CPR / emergency experience! Send your real life story to us today and stand a chance to win fantastic prizes and enter our super main draw.

Go to http://www.firstaidtraining.com.sg/story now to submit REAL FIRST AID STORY now.

Or send us your story via email to sfatc@firstaidtraining.com.sg.

Thank you and we’re looking forward to reading your story!

Closing date : 12th May 2009

Extracted from the NewPaper >>

SHE was not allowed to eat in class so three-year-old Robyjnn Lui swallowed the sweet.

But it got stuck in the girl’s throat, causing her to choke.

By the time her Mandarin teacher realised what was happening, Robyjnn’s lips and face had turned blue.

She tried to get Robyjnn to vomit into a waste basket while patting her back, but to no avail.

With five other children in the class to handle, the teacher called out to the branch manager, Madam Ng Siew Yann, who was in a storeroom 3m away.

The quick-thinking Madam Ng grabbed Robyjnn and lifted her with the girl’s stomach over her left forearm, and patted her several times.

When it did not work, Madam Ng, 33, said she gave a couple of hard thumps on her back until she managed to clear the blockage.

Madam Ng said: ‘It was frightening to see her face blue, and that her eyes had turned red and wet. I could also hear she had difficulty breathing.

‘Luckily, she pointed to her throat to indicate that something was stuck inside. My focus was just to get her to throw up.’

The incident happened at about 4pm two weeks ago at the Thomson branch of Berries World of Learning School where Robyjnn attends a weekly Mandarin enrichment class.

After clearing Robyjnn’s airway, Madam Ng said she hugged the student and told her everything was fine.

‘I asked her if she was okay. She smiled at me and nodded her head,’ said Madam Ng.

Just then, the girl threw up on her and vomited two more times. By then, several teachers were on hand to help.

They cleaned up the girl and changed her clothes.

The incident didn’t appear to affect Robyjnn.

‘She looked fine after that. She was even jumping about like nothing had happened,’ Madam Ng added.

She called Robyjnn’s mother immediately after the incident to inform her.

And as it turns out, her mother, Madam Chan Yee Yin, 39, had given her a sweet to pacify her before class as she was grouchy.

Grateful parents

She and her husband were so grateful that they went to the school later that day with chocolates and biscuits to thank Madam Ng.

They also wrote a commendation letter to Madam Ng’s employer, and alerted The New Paper to her good deed.

Clearly unaffected by the incident and unfazed by the attention, Robyjnn said: ‘I was trying to swallow the sweet but it got stuck.’

Said Madam Chan, a corporate communications director: ‘In this day and age, there are still good people out there who take so much pride in their work and expect nothing in return.’

Madam Wynne Li, the founder and managing director of the school, said she appreciated the commendation from Robyjnn’s parents, and that Madam Ng’s actions have earned her bonus points as part of her appraisal.

Madam Li said: ‘It’s all about crisis management, and she did it well. She was cool headed enough to deal with the situation. It’s all because of her love for the children and for her job.’

As part of their training, new employees are put through a five-day course, where they are also taught how to administer first-aid, and how to deal with emergencies such as cuts, bleeding, choking and asthma attacks.

Madam Ng, a mother of three young children, played down her actions.

She said: ‘It’s part of our job. Anyone faced with the same situation would have done the same.’

In the third and final segment of his presentation, Mr Rasheed answers a few more questions on first aid and CPR, commonly asked by laypersons. There are also reviews by the audience as well as sharing of real first aid experiences by members of the audience – which further validates the need for everyone to know the basics of first aid. This part of the first aid presentation is approximately 5 minutes long and is a must watch to conclusion to this presentation.