I have just been watching Tobias Ellwood MP on Good Morning Britain talking about his actions in trying to save PC Keith Palmer in the London Terror Attack.  His message was one about standing up to terrorism but also how important it is for people to have the necessary First Aid skills to help people in an emergency situation.

I have a huge amount of respect for Tobias, his efforts were outstanding in a terrible situation and I couldn’t agree more with him about the need to be prepared.

First Aiders are First Responders; we are likely to be first on scene and in some situations we may be the only people who are there that can help until the professionals arrive.  Current UK survival rates among people who have a cardiac arrest outside of hospital remain extremely poor, varying from 2% to 12%. This is due in part to the low numbers of people in the UK who have the life-saving skills needed to assist in an emergency.

Evidence shows that survival rates in cardiac arrest are significantly affected by the time taken for the first emergency response to take place, effective bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and early defibrillation.  The fact is we do not educate enough people in First Aid in the UK and if more people attended First Aid training then more people would survive cardiac arrest.

In countries such as Scandinavia and Copenhagen survival rates are significantly higher as they value the importance of First Aid education which leads to more bystanders assisting in life-saving situations. Research has shown that in Copenhagen in two-thirds of cardiac arrest incidents in which a casualty was revived there was a by-stander involved in that revival.   

Many people in the UK rely on a ‘First Aiders at Work’ to provide support for them if needed but do not consider what situations they may find themselves in outside of the workplace. Whether it be on the side of a football pitch, at home, in the car or walking down the street, there is always a chance that somebody may need help so consider attending training.  It might just save a life!