Being a prepper is not only about having a gun or guns and knowing how to shoot them or having a stockpile of necessities for when S*** Hits the Fan (SHTF), you also need to learn and gather basic skills needed to survive not only for you, for your family but also for anyone you know or don’t know, especially in medical emergencies. We can experience medical emergencies not only during SHTF but also during a regular day and it’s best if you have the skills and know what you can and cannot do to help. And the most practical way to learn and gain those skills is through proper training.
I personally wanted to learn and gain those skills not only for me and my family but also, so that I can contribute to the community as a volunteer. So I decided to sign up for a paid training of Basic Life Support with CPR and Standard First Aid at our local Red Cross branch. It was a 6 day training that ran the whole week, Monday to Saturday. The first part, Basic Life Support with CPR for Healthcare Providers was for 2 days. During the first day, they taught us what the difference is between a Cardiac Arrest and a Respiratory Arrest, how to check which of the two a victim is experiencing and what steps to take. We were also taught the proper way to do CPR, how many repetitions or cycles you had to do, how fast you need to compress the chest and how to do rescue breathing for adult, child and infant victims. The second day was for assessments, written and practical. We had to do CPR to three dummies (adult, child and infant) and the timing had to be correct or we had to do it over again.
The second part was Standard First Aid where we were taught a lot! I would not give you all the details as it is not allowed however, maybe I can list down the topics that we covered.
1. Introduction to First Aid
2. Human Body
3. Guidelines in Giving Emergency Care
4. Patient/Casualty Handling
5. Shock
6. Soft Tissue Injuries
7. Poisoning
8. Bones, Joints and Muscle Injuries
9. Basic Extrication
10. Common Emergencies
I would not elaborate on them but all these topics were discussed and first aid procedures were also taught and some we had a chance to practice like how to use and mount a victim to a spine board, transport a victim on a spice board, attach the cervical brace (neck brace), use splints for bone fractures and triaging victims from a Mass Casualty Incident (MCI). The last day were again for assessments, we had a written assessment and a practical assessment where we had to demonstrate the proper use of a triangular bandage on different types of injuries and different kinds of transfer methods without the use of any equipment, basically we had to carry someone alone, with a partner and with a group. We also had a chance to see the insides of their ambulance and check the equipment that they had. On the side, I finally learned how to use a regular blood pressure monitor which I’ve always wanted to learn. Haha!
I would say that it was a great experience for me. Aside from learning new skills that might prove useful someday, I also met new people and now I get a chance to volunteer and help in case the Red Cross calls us for an emergency. I’m now thinking of getting more training from them so I can volunteer for their Emergency Response Unit (ERU) which is their ambulance team who are always on stand-by.
I paid PhP1,500 for the 6 days training and I was given the manuals, a large triangular bandage with the Philippine Red Cross logo, some supplies we used during assessments, an accident insurance worth PhP50,000, certificates and of course invaluable knowledge and skills. Cheap right? They hold monthly trainings at their office in Mandaluyong City, if you are interested in getting training and signing up, you can call the branch or you can follow their like page on facebook just search for Prc Mandaluyong and ask questions there someone will answer you I promise. They would only require a medical certificate and the fee for you to join.
You will never know when these skills would come in handy, it’s best to be prepared.
As always, prepare for the worst, hope for the best.
