CHCSA and CityCare workers learn how to handle medical emergency situations at a first-aid course.
Contributed By Valerie Lim
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| PHOTO COURTESY OF CHCSA |
Psychologists would suggest ridding the bystander effect, which is a phenomenon that refers to emergency situations when individuals do not offer help to those in need in the presence of other people. However, how does one help unless he or she is equipped to?
To circumvent the inability to help due to ignorance, City Harvest Community Services Association organized a First Aid course by engaging trainers from the Singapore First Aid Training Centre, the first and only International Training Provider for American Heart Association’s Emergency Cardiovascular Care Programs. The course was participated by staff and volunteers from CHCSA and CityCare Ltd., and was held from June 30 to July 2.
Every year, CHCSA organizes numerous outings and activities for different groups of individuals comprising a wide span of people from as young as primary school children to senior citizens in their golden years. CityCare, a not-for-profit organization, sends volunteer teams to under-served communities in various parts of Asia as part of their international humanitarian aid program. To ensure that each event organized by the respective organizations has a higher level of safety, some of the staff and volunteers dedicated their time to equipping themselves through the course. In the event of unforeseen emergency, staff or volunteers would be certified and trained to handle the situation.
This First Aid course encompassed a wide range of theories and hands-on sessions.
On the first day, the participants were given an opportunity to practice the basics of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, which required concentration, strength and perseverance from the rescuer. Besides learning CPR, the participants also learned how to bandage and handle different kinds of injuries.
The trainers conducted the course through the use of videos, experiences and lecture materials, sharing relevant experiences as a nurse and paramedic respectively. Participants showed a great deal of interest in picking up the ropes of first aid by asking questions and interacting with the trainers. At the end of the course, each attendee was required to take a test in order to be qualified as a certified First Aider.
Trainer, Juztin Png, commented that they were “a group of very vibrant, cheerful and keen-to-learn participants. I’m sure that after the course, they’ll be a confident first-aider on the ground.”
Participants all agreed that the course served to increase their level of confidence. As put across by Alvin Low, a CHCSA staff, “The staff and volunteers are now better equipped to deal with situations that require First Aid, especially during outings for youths or elderly.”
The course fulfilled its purpose of increasing the level of confidence and competence of the participants. CityCare staff, Tan Liwei, was quick to point out that “when actual emergencies occur, we would at least know what we need to do, and that will help us attend to the situation in a more effective manner.”
