This has happened numerous times after our first aid course. We get an email from someone stating that they are so happy they completed the first aid course last week because they just saved someones life. Doing a first aid course will give you the skills to provide first aid in an emergency situation.
Come and join one of our first aid courses held at the Parklands Hotel in Dickson.
The drama unfolded when five-year-old Poppy was having chips for supper with her father, James Taylor.
Her mother Sarah Jones, 32, was in the kitchen.
Sarah, 32, said: “I heard James telling Poppy not to eat so quickly or she would choke. The next thing, James shouted for help. I ran into the lounge and Poppy was making gasping noises. She couldn’t tell us what was wrong but I knew straightaway she was choking.
“I was panicking inside but I knew exactly what to do thanks to the first-aid course.
“I picked Poppy up with one arm and gave her three hard slaps on the back and the food came out. I just burst into tears because I was so relieved.
“Poppy was crying too but she was fine after a drink – although she hasn’t had chips since then.”
Sarah had learnt what to do in the event of choking during a St John Ambulance first-aid course early this month. She had volunteered because she wanted to be a first aider with her employer, Swift Air Maintenance, at Leicester Airport.
One of the things which stuck in her mind was a lesson from trainer Pete Dickinson.
He had shown what to do when dealing with a choking incident using an example from 2015 when he saved his own seven-year-old daughter from choking on a boiled sweet.
Sarah said: “Pete’s description was so similar to the incident which happened to Poppy that I just relied on instinct.
Pete Dickinson St John Ambulance trainer
“I think, if I hadn’t had the training, I would have been tempted to try and get the food out by putting my fingers in Poppy’s mouth which of course would have been wrong and might have pushed it down even further.”
Sarah immediately contacted Pete to thank him.
He said: “I am so pleased that Sarah was able to use her first aid training with such a positive outcome.
“The similarity between Poppy’s choking incident and my own daughter’s, and the fact that they were both saved by parents who had only learned the technique shortly beforehand, is striking.”
He added: “It shows how essential it is for people to learn first aid as you truly never know when you might need to use it – at home, in the street, at school or in the workplace.”
Not only would a nurse on site be great but having all staff trained in first aid would be the first step we feel. Plenty of schools are starting to get their staff trained in first aid in Australia but there are still many that can improve.
Wednesday, 26 April 2017, 09:40Last update: about 22 hours ago
The legal responsibility which comes about with having First Aid qualifications should be the first thing to be tackled in regards to first aiders in schools, according to outgoing President of the Malta Union of Teachers, Kevin Bonello.
The Malta Independent spoke to Mr Bonello to get his take on the situation regarding the presence of First Aiders in schools around Malta and Gozo.
“A person who is doing his/her duty and who might not be up to nursing should never be forced to carry out First Aid as this may have bad repercussions on both the administrator as well as the ‘patient’,” said Mr Bonello, adding that “this is what people fear.” “The Government should, instead, do its best to employ nurses (like retired nurses) in every school,” he said.
“I strongly believe that this must evolve into a situation whereby all sorts of First Aid situations should be tackled by the same persons, but this is not yet possible since people need to leave their classes to carry these things out,” Mr Bonello said. “Ideally, there should be a nurse in each school, but even nurses are in short supply.”
This explanation as to the reason why there are not enough first aiders in schools, especially in state schools is shared by both Mr Bonello Minister for Education Evarist Bartolo.
Speaking to this newspaper, last week, the Minister said that “I am told that people do not become First Aiders, not because they do not want to help others, but because apparently, if you are a First Aider in Malta, legally you are not covered if something goes wrong.” He continued to state that the Government “will move to have such a law.”
Documents tabled in Parliament by Minister Bartolo (above) on the 12th of April showed that 18 state schools around Malta and Gozo did not have any first aiders, eight out of which were primary schools. Furthermore, interestingly, the statistics showed that within the 10 Independent schools there are more trained first aiders than in the 109 state schools, with 157 and 152 first aiders respectively. The 24 Church schools around Malta and Gozo have 48 trained first aiders in total, where first aiders were listed in every school. On average, state schools have one or two first aiders.
Last week, Minister Bartolo informed The Malta Independent that there should be two First Aiders in each school.
When asked why private schools have so many more first aiders than state schools, Mr Bonello replied saying that he believes that the concept of first aiders in private schools is different than that used in State and Church schools.
“In state schools, first aiders are persons who are bound with a sort of agreement in which they are expected to give basic aid to the extreme cases, for example the administration of Epipen,” said Mr Bonello, “Many people in state schools and church schools who are not officially first aiders then carry out basic first aid, such as seeing to a child who gets bruised after falling.”
Mr Bonello (above) mentioned that in some schools there are health and safety teachers who have been doing this task for many years. However, in some instances, more specialized people to help in “rare situations” where First Aid is needed remain not catered for.
“On the other hand, private schools tackle First Aid, in the proper sense of the word, without the use of health and safety teachers, and many also carry out in-service training for their staff in First Aid,” he explained. Both Mr Bonello and Minister Bartolo mentioned that in state schools, it is “made sure” that were there are pupils who suffer from life threatening allergies, there is always a first aider appointed.
The concept and practice of teaching First Aid to students as well as teachers is one which is shared and being implemented by the Education Ministry and Malta Red Cross. Mr Bonello, however, emphasizes the importance of firstly tackling the legal responsibility. Minister Bartolo has also expressed wishes for a ‘next step’ to be Mental Health First Aid.
Yuk, we hate snakes. Can you spot this snake? This is why you are taught to treat all snake bites the same in our courses. That is using the PIT, if you dont see it it is always better to be safe than sorry. So call 00 and follow the PIT. Book yourself into the best first aid course in Canberra with us today.
SOMEWHERE in this picture is a venomous snake, but you’d be forgiven for not seeing it.
IF YOU have a fear of snakes, this won’t be a fun game for you.
But social media users on Twitter have been engaging in a surprisingly difficult game of spot the deadly snake.
A Florida Twitter user whose bio says she is a PhD student in the field of snake biology has posted a picture of a snake heavily camouflaged by the leaves and dirt on the ground.
The reptile is so hidden it’s a wonder that she could even see it at all, and posted an image to challenge others to do the same.
Still some improvement needed in the allergy world and product packaging but we have come a long way. Anaphylaxis is one of the most prevalent problems in child cares and thus is discussed in detail in first aid courses now all over the world.
Join a first aid course in Canberra with Canberra First Aid a reputable company with great feedback from previous participants. Check out the comments on google at https://www.google.com.au/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1RUCY_enAU687AU687&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=canberra+first+aid&duf3=2,duf3-2-30-0x6b16529be178171d:0x8c0f3d672ecf2db7
In a first aid course with us you will learn so much about the signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis, how to treat it and the use of an epipen.
Australians with food allergies are at risk when deciding whether packaged products are safe to eat because manufacturers are unprepared to indicate which unlabelled foods are safe and which are not, a study has found.
The Murdoch Childrens Research Institute surveyed the allergen risk assessment processes of companies representing 454 different manufacturing sites across Australasia.
Peanut allergy treatment on horizon
Australian researchers say a successful trial treatment containing peanut protein and probiotics has laid the groundwork for an experimental peanut allergy vaccine.
It found 30 per cent of edible packaged goods on supermarket shelves had been declared safe to eat after a risk assessment for food allergens but still remained unlabelled, while products that had not undergone any assessment were also without a label.
Food assessed in the survey included cereals, breads, pastas, tinned food, biscuits and lollies.
Thirty per cent of packaged food products that have been through an allergen risk assessment process are safe to eat but remain unlabelled. Photo: Jim Rice
Senior author Professor Katie Allen suggested food labelling could be expanded to include “permissive labelling” to inform consumers whether a product was safe to eat.
“This would enable consumers to understand which foods have been through a risk assessment process and which have not,” she said. “Currently allergy consumers are taking significant risks. This situation is just an accident waiting to happen.”
About one in 20 children and two in 100 adults suffer from a food allergy. The most common ingredients that account for more than 90 per cent of food allergies are referred to as the “Big Eight”, and include milk, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and crustacean shellfish.
In Australia two types of labelling are used by manufacturers: mandatory labelling, which is required by law, for any ingredient that is added to a product; and precautionary labelling, which is used by industry and manufacturers to inform consumers if a product may have traces of a certain substance.
Peanuts are one of the most common food allergens. Photo: Patrick Sison
Professor Allen argued such labels, indicating an edible product may contain traces of a food allergen, are being overused and “slapped on all sorts of products”. She said there was an urgent need for allergen labelling standardisation.
“It’s become ubiquitous … industry is keen to keen to inform consumers, but they take a ‘zero risk’ approach, that is, if in doubt, put on a label,” Professor Allen said.
About one in 20 children suffer from a food allergy.
In a previous study of supermarket snack products, Professor Allen found 95 per cent of products had some from of precautionary labelling.
“Of around 250 products labels saying ‘may contain traces of’ … we found three had very, very low levels of contamination that would be unlikely to cause reaction,” she said. “The rest had nothing. So we know there is overuse.”
She recommended an Australia-wide uptake of Voluntary Incidental Trace Allergen Labelling, a risk assessment program that estimates the risk of cross-contamination in a factory.
Developed by food manufacturers, industry and allergy groups, VITAL measures the concentration of an allergen in a product. If the concentration is above a certain level a “may be present” warning should be displayed.
However the research paper found a limitation of the VITAL process; products with concentrations below the level, which were “considered to be safe for consumption by food allergic consumers”, had no information on their labels that alerted consumers to this difference.
“Therefore, it is unclear whether these products contain trivial amounts of allergens and are safe to consume or whether they have simply not undergone a risk assessment and remain untested and therefore unlabelled,” the report said.
Professor Allen and her colleagues will reconvene alater this year with food industry representatives to endorse a national uptake of VITAL.
A spokesman for the Australian Food and Grocery Council said it was no surprise some member companies took a conservative approach.
“Health is first and foremost, and the massive consequences of getting it wrong are too great,” he said.
VITAL continued to evolve and was considered best practice for industry around the world, the spokesman added.
An amazing story of survival from the Queensland floods. We would like to remind you that doing a first aid course will give you the skills to help in an emergency situation. Book in now to a Canberra First Aid course (hltaid003) so that you have the first aid kills to help.
AN eight-year-old girl who was the sole survivor of a horror crash that killed her mother and two siblings in northern New South Wales has spoken of how she escaped the sinking car.
Only three weeks ago, Chloe-May Kabealo’s world changed when she managed to get out of the van her mother, Stephanie King, was driving.
The vehicle has plunged into the swollen Tweed River at Tumbulgum, which had flooded following a lashing from Cyclone Debbie.
Speaking at a fundraiser for the remaining members of the family — Chloe-May and her dad Matt Kabealo — the eight-year-old told of her miraculous escape.
“I unbuckled my seatbelt and I tried to go up for air, and then I just kept floating up out of something and then I got out,” she said.
Chloe-May Kabealo bravely described how she escaped the sunken vehicle. Picture: Channel 7Source:Channel 7
The girl managed to climb out of the river’s bank and run to a nearby farmhouse where she was assisted by locals.
“They just took me in and let me get into clean clothes and cleaned up all my cuts on my feet,” she said.
Chloe-May said the family had been supported over the past three weeks.
“We’ve been having heaps of people saying we’re there for you and all that,” she said
Her father was not holding up so well.
“I’m shattered buddy, I’m not holding up,” he told a news reporter at the Tweed Heads fundraiser.
“(I’m) just being strong for my daughter. We’re just going to get through it the best we can.”
Chloe-May Kabealo’s father Matt Kabealo speak at a fundraising event. Picture: Channel 9Source:Channel 9
Tweed Byron police co-ordinated the fundraiser which raised more than $10,000 for the grieving family.
“Nothing that we do could ever replace Chloe’s two siblings, younger brother and sister, but anything we can do to make their life a little bit better we can,” Senior Constable Brad Foster said.
Chloe-May said of her mum and siblings: “They were all loved and they’ll never be forgotten.”
This article from first aid services in South Africa is probably a pretty good place to get a first aid kit from.
First Aid in countries like this is extremely important due to the limited supply of Ambulance.
Book in to a first aid course with us at Canberra First Aid and you will learn all about the first aid training procedures that can save a life. We look forward to seeing you soon.
No parent likes to think about this, but tens of thousands of South African children die every year, as a result of drowning, burns, poisoning and falls from bunk beds, roofs, roller skates and skateboards (Herman, 2006).
This is partly why the Self-Medication Manufacturers Association of South Africa (Smasa) would like families to know the importance of a first aid kit and the essential contents.
Nurse and first aid author Linda Buys says SA’s most common first aid emergencies include accidental injuries like minor cuts and lacerations, foreign objects in fingers and feet, muscle sprains, strains and cramps, burns, chemicals or foreign objects in the eye, poisoning, and asthma attacks.
Smasa suggests you are prepared when urgent treatment for an injury is required – or when professional medical care is either unavailable or unnecessary.
Some of the most common incidents that can happen at home include:
Burns and scalds
Cuts and grazes
Ingesting chemicals
Fever
Headaches
Insect bites
Arrive Alive paramedics agree, suggesting that the critical contents of an emergency medical kit are items to treat burn wounds, cuts and bruises, and fractures, as well as splints, band aids, scissors, tweezers, medical gloves for your own safety, lotions for bites and stings, and disinfectant (2017).
What should you include?
Medicinenet (2017) says your first aid kit cannotcan’t do without the following basics:
Basics
Adhesive and duct tape, to hold a dressing or splint in place
‘Butterfly’ bandages, to hold the edges of a cut together
Non-stick sterile bandages, for simple cuts or abrasions
Sterile gauze, to control bleeding and prevent contamination
Sterile roller bandages, to support sprained or sore muscles
Anti-itch lotion, for relief of insect bites, itching and minor skin irritations
Antibiotic ointment, to prevent infection of minor wounds
Antiseptic ointment, solution, spray or wipes, for cleansing wounds
Cotton wool, cotton balls, and cotton buds or swabs
Disposable non-latex medical gloves (several pairs)
To these, the Mayo Foundation adds these elements of a first aid kit:
Eye shield or pad
Eyewash solution
Triangular bandage
Sterile burn gel and burn dressings
Aluminium finger splint
Instant cold packs
Plastic bags, assorted sizes
Safety pins, assorted sizes
Scissors and tweezers
Hand sanitiser
Thermometer
Bulb suction device for flushing wounds
Syringe, medicine cup or spoon
CPR mouthpiece (breathing barrier)
Medications
Aloe Vera gel
Calamine lotion
Anti-diarrhea medication
Laxatives
Antacids
Antihistamines
Pain relievers
Hydrocortisone cream
Cough and cold medications
The required quantity of these items depends on the size of your family or on the specific trip, but your pharmacist can guide you (Affinity Rescue, 2014).
Extras
Small waterproof torch
Batteries and spares
Waterproof matches
Small notepad and pencil
Emergency space blanket
Emergency whistle.
Of course, you can also add your own medications to the bag. In this case, the American National Red Cross (2017) has the following advice for you:
Do notn’t share your personal prescription medication with anyone, even if they use the same medication.
Mark any headache, pain relief, anti-nausea and anti-vomiting medication accordingly, and store it in a childproof container.
Ensure that only responsible adults are able to access, use and dispense included medications.
Useful tips for first aid
Essential First Aid Supplies (2017) offers the following handy reminders:
Keep your first aid kit well maintained, properly stocked and up-to-date.
Keep it locked and in a cool, dry place out of the reach of children.
Make sure that the entire family and all caregivers know where the kit is kept and what it contains.
Consider including a basic first aid manual or instruction booklet.
Resist the temptation to over-stock your kit with random items.
Paramedics’ top three must-have items are: a CPR mouthpiece, something to stop bleeding and splint fractures, and medical gloves.
Never touch blood or body fluids without wearing medical gloves.
Replace any items as soon as possible after you have’ve used them.
If you have notn’t used the kit in a while, choose one day a year to audit it.
When faced with an emergency, try to provide the best assistance you can to the injured person, but always ensure your own safety first.
Nurse Linda Buys says:adds, “The moment you feel inadequate and insecure when treating a patient, you can make a phone call to a medical officer, even your pharmacist or your doctor’s consulting rooms, for advice.”
Buys also shares her three secret weapons: “Colloidal silver spray works wonders on all cuts, [healing] burns, eye injuries, eye infections, throat “burns”, and tonsillitis. She suggests that a mentholated topical ointment works for earache, a “deaf” feeling in the ear, and to remove earwax or smother any insects in the ear. For burn wounds, my best tip is: the sooner you rinse the area with cold water, the better the outcome.”
I am pretty sure we cover this in our first aid courses, although taken from the USA this still outlines all of the components needed in a first aid course.
Make sure you update your first aid course every three years, there is always something new to learn. We will remind you via email when you have previously done a first aid course with us at Canberra First Aid and Training.
Minutes count when someone is injured or becomes ill on the job. You can keep the situation from getting worse by providing the right type of first-aid treatment right away.
Anyone who has been designated by an employer to provide first aid must have thorough training on how to respond to the injuries and illnesses anticipated in the workplace. Employees who are not designated first-aiders should know how to promptly report injuries and illnesses. Here are eight elements that can be used as a general introduction to first-aid programs.
A quick response is necessary when there is an injury or sudden illness.
GETTY IMAGES (SOLSTOCK)
1. Introduce OSHA’s expectations for first-aid programs
Where an accident is possible based on hazards and can result in suffocation, severe bleeding or other life-threatening or permanently disabling injury or illness, OSHA expects a three- to four-minute response time from the time of injury to the time of administering first aid. If such a life-threatening or serious injury is unlikely, OSHA allows a longer response time, such as 15 minutes.
To ensure treatment is available within these time frames, OSHA requires the employer to train persons to render first aid when there’s no nearby hospital, clinic or infirmary that’s used to treat all injured or ill employees.
First-aid providers perform the initial assessment of injuries and illnesses and provide immediate care and life support before emergency medical service (EMS) professionals arrive.
2. Display your first-aid supplies
First-aid supplies must be readily available in an emergency. There must be appropriate supplies (in adequate amounts) for the types of injuries and illnesses that are likely to occur based on an understanding of the activities in the workplace.
OSHA says that medical personnel must be available to consult with the employer on matters of plant health. Employers can work with the medical professionals who treat injured employees to get help in determining what supplies should be in the facility’s first-aid kits and how many kits are needed.
As guidance, employers can consult American National Standards Institute standard Z308.1, Minimum Requirements for Workplace First Aid Kits. It describes two classes of basic kits. The Class A kit contains the following:
• Adhesive bandages, 1 inch x 3 inch
• Adhesive tape, 2.5 yards
• Antibiotic ointment
• Antiseptic
• Breathing barrier
• Gel-soaked burn dressing
• Burn ointment
• Cold pack
• Eye covering with a means of attachment
• Eye/skin wash
• First-aid guide
• Hand sanitizer
• Medical examination gloves
• Roller bandage, 2 inches
• Scissors
• Sterile pad, 3 inches x 3 inches
• Trauma pad, 5 inches x 9 inches
• Triangular bandage
The Class B kit contains a larger quantity of all of the items listed in the Class A kit, and also includes:
• Roller bandage, 4 inches
• Splint
• Tourniquet
3. Emphasize the importance of first-aiders taking universal precautions to prevent exposure to bloodborne pathogens
Blood can carry microorganisms such as hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that can cause serious diseases. OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard, 1910.1030, applies to all “occupational exposure” to blood or other potentially infectious materials (OPIMs). Employees who are expected to provide first aid as part of their job duties are covered by the standard.
When a first-aid response involves exposure to blood and OPIMs, first-aiders must use “universal precautions.” This is an approach to infection control where all human blood and certain body fluids are treated as if they were known to be infectious for bloodborne pathogens. Wearing rubber exam gloves and protective clothing is part of following universal precautions.
4. Explain how first-aid providers start by assessing the situation
When first-aid providers arrive at an accident scene, they first evaluate what happened, how many people are injured, and whether it’s safe to enter the area. In serious situations, they’ll make sure EMS professionals are on the way.
First-aiders must ensure their own safety before they can help the injured. They’ll consider everyone’s safety when they decide on making rescues and moving victims. They’ll assess the injuries of each victim. They’ll check for responsiveness, breathing, and circulation; and they’ll look for any medical alert tags a victim might be wearing.
5. Outline first-aid response to life-threatening emergencies
Life-threatening medical emergencies can involve conditions such as:
If an injury is life-threatening, first-aid providers are trained to:
• Perform rescue breathing, perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation ( CPR), and use an automated external defibrillator ( AED)
• Recognize the signs and symptoms of shock and provide treatment
• Control bleeding with direct pressure
• Provide other treatment to stabilize the victim
6. Discuss AED programs
OSHA’s Best Practices Guide: Fundamentals of a Workplace First-Aid Program says that an AED should be considered when selecting first-aid supplies.
AEDs provide the critical and necessary treatment for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) caused by ventricular fibrillation. Ventricular fibrillation is the uncoordinated beating of the heart leading to collapse and death. An electric shock delivered by an AED can restore the heart to a normal rhythm. Using an AED within three to four minutes after the victim has suffered SCA significantly improves the survival rate.
Administer CPR until the AED unit is brought to the victim. This basic form of life support uses chest compressions and artificial respiration.
7. Outline some non-life-threatening emergencies encountered by first-aid providers
First-aid providers know how to provide initial treatment for conditions such as:
• Cuts, abrasions, puncture wounds, crushing injuries, and other wounds
• Burns
• Frostbite, hypothermia, heat stroke, and other temperature-related conditions
• Sprains and strains
• Eye injuries
Even though these conditions may not be life-threatening, the victim may still need medical treatment beyond first aid.
8. Summarize your program
Every employee needs to know how to report a medical emergency. A quick response is necessary when there is an injury or sudden illness. However, the response needs to be made by personnel who have proper training.
Judie Smithers is an editor at J. J. Keller & Associates, a compliance resource company that offers products and services to business professionals. Smithers’ subject matter expertise covers safety training, lockout/tagout, permit-required confined spaces, hearing conservation, exposure monitoring, personal protective equipment, asbestos, lead, radiation, and illumination. Previously, Smithers was the health and safety information coordinator for an industrial company.
Not what you want to wake up to. Make sure you are trained in dealing with first aid emergencies. Enrol in a first aid course with us at Canberra First Aid and you will learn all the skills and first aid techniques to complete your certified course and help out in an emergency.
First aid courses can be dull and boring but you wont find that with our first aid course held at Parklands Dickson.
APRIL 15, 20179:37PM
Snake season
Jackie SinnertonThe Courier-Mail
A BRISBANE family’s Easter camping trip ended in terror when nine-year-old Gabby Pettigrew woke in the tent with a 2.5m python tightly wrapped around her arm.
Pandemonium broke out at 5am in the Moreton Island campsite as the schoolgirl let out a muffled “help me”. So scared of spooking the massive reptile that was weighing down her small body, Gabby was frozen in shock.
“She was pure white but amazingly calm and collected. When the whole family realised what was going on a bit of panic set in. The other families heard the commotion. The snake was so heavy that Gabby couldn’t get up,” dad Simon said.
“The snake was well and truly strapped on to her. The more we tried to release it the more it constricted. It sunk its teeth into her arm. She must have been in a lot of pain but stayed still. I was unsure of what to do so I just grabbed it by the mouth and pulled its jaws apart. Eventually it came free and we let it loose back into the environment,” Mr Pettigrew said.
The snake that attacked Gabby in her sleep.Source:Supplied
Gabby Pettigrew was bitten by a snake while she was sleeping at Moreton Island.Source:Supplied
The Coastguard took Gabby and her dad to the mainland and they were treated at Redcliffe Hospital. Both suffered bites. While the Pettigrew family of five cut short their holiday and returned home to Brisbane after the confronting incident, they have not ruled out further camping trips.
“Gabby is very resilient. We camp often and are very aware that we were in the snake’s backyard. This shouldn’t put people off going camping,” Mr Pettigrew said.
A paramedic treats Gabby at the campsite. Picture: SuppliedSource:Supplied
Gabby is recovering well and has quite a show-and-tell for school after the holidays. There were 313 suspected snake bites from January to the end of March in the state, an average of three people a day.
TV presenter and Heart FM favourite Zoe Hardman suffered every new parent’s worst nightmare when she had to nurse baby Luna through a seizure.
Barely three months old at the time, Luna’s seizure was thought to have been caused by a urine infection and a fever peak of 40 °C. Zoe, who described the incident as ‘the worst thing that could ever happen to a parent’ had taken a first aid course only five days previously, and was able to stay calm under the pressure. ‘If I hadn’t had the first aid course I wouldn’t have known what to do and would probably have panicked. But then the training kicked in and I knew I needed to stay calm – I put her on the floor in the recovery position and called 999.’ Describing the horrible moment the terror kicked in, Zoe says: ‘I heard this horrible noise on the baby monitor from the nursery, and bolted over there. Luna was shaking and convulsing. She was deathly pale and was having problems breathing.’
Thankfully, emergency services were quick to respond and mother and baby were rushed to hospital where Luna was treated by healthcare professionals and has now made a full recovery.
Zoe has spoken out about the traumatic experience to mark the launch of this years’ St John Ambulance Everyday Heroes Awards. The event honours local lifesavers, community heroes, organisations and members of the public who have used their first aid to help others. ‘If I hadn’t known what to do when she had the seizure, it could’ve been so much worse,’ adds Zoe. ‘It was so lucky that I’d had my first aid training.’
Zoe and her rugby player boyfriend Paul Doran Jones welcomed Luna back in September 2016, announcing the news with an adorable black-and-white snap of her little hands. Of the birth, Zoe admitted that she found it ‘gruelling’ and ‘traumatising’ after she had to abandon her planned water birth for a forceps delivery. But she’s clearly loving her new role as mum, saying ‘It’s everything I could have hoped for times about 10.’
Canberra First Aid will teach you how to treat young babies also in our first aid training courses. We offer an affordable and good training session at our venue Parklands Hotel in Dickson.
Book in now for a first aid training session in the future. You wont regret it.
The HIA test is widely used in first aid courses and situations and has proven to be a great tool in football codes in Canberra and Australia.
We need to keep making people aware of the concerns with concussions in our first aid courses so that people know what to look for and also know how to treat the injury. There are still too many people being re introduced to the game concussed.
Book in to a first aid course with Canberra First Aid today so that you can learn all of the basic first aid course procedures to use in an emergency.
By Stuart Honeysett
Mar 23rd, 2017
The NRL will review a concussion suffered by Sam Burgess against the Sydney Roosters on Thursday night after the South Sydney lock remained on the field for four minutes before finally leaving for a Head Injury Assessment (HIA).
The concussion issue has bubbled along this week after the NRL handed down a record $350,000 in combined fines to the Gold Coast, Newcastle and St George Illawarra for failing in their duty of care to players who had suffered head knocks.
Burgess came off second best after rushing out of the line late in the first half to put a hit on Sydney Roosters hard man Isaac Liu. The Souths captain remained on his haunches before slowly rising to his feet and re-joining the play.
South Sydney lock Sam Burgess on the charge against the Sydney Roosters on Thursday night. (AAP)
The NRL review all HIA’s at the completion of the round to determine if the strict rules have been breached and they have already signalled their intentions to clubs over concussions this week after issuing heavy fines.
Channel Nine commentator Phil Gould said on his “Six Tackles with Gus” podcast for 9Podcasts that his greatest concern over the NRL’s tough stance was there would be a knee-jerk reaction from clubs now over concussion.
“It’s a difficult issue and if you’re going to throw $50,$100, $150,000 on top of that well now we’re going to be jumping at shadows,” Gould said
“As soon as a bloke rubs his head because he’s got a knock they’re going to be saying you’ve got to come off and have a HIA.
“We’re more and more and more sanitising the game of rugby league and now that we’ve actually got litigation around this concussion issue it’s a real problem. I don’t know how we play the game and avoid head knocks and avoid people getting hurt.
“It doesn’t mean that they’ve always got concussion and that’s the thing. We’re going to keep running players on and off to the HIA and I don’t know where it’s going to end.”
Newcastle is one of three NRL clubs who were heavily fined over their handling of fullback Brendan Elliott’s concussion in round three.
Gould said clubs placed their faith in their medical staff and it was sometimes difficult to diagnose concussion.
The Titans have already indicated they will challenge their fine, claiming one of the players the NRL had identified Joe Greenwood as suffering a concussion had actually copped a poke in the eye, while the Dragons and Knights are reviewing their options.
“People think it’s easy to determine if a player is concussed or not,” Gould said.
“It’s not.
“A player may be stunned, a player may be hurt, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s concussed and you trust your medical staff out there who have had the experience at this as to whether or not the player (is concussed).
“Just because a player goes down injured we shouldn’t have to get him off to test him for concussion all the time.”
Read more at http://wwos.nine.com.au/2017/03/23/21/52/nrl-expected-to-investigate-concussion-suffered-by-south-sydneys-sam-burgess#mVy5jb0MqDeMIWBW.99
