First AID training on march 15th, 2025.
We were delighted to have Bernadette, an Autichian general practitioner and member of City of Ubuntu Austria, with us in Cameroon.
As part of our mission to help build the capacity of local population, we wanted her expertise for a first-aid training course, which she kindly offered us on March 15.
Why train in first aid?
The main reason for training in first aid is to empower young people to save lives. In the event of an accident or emergency, knowledge of first aid enables people to provide immediate help before professional help arrives with confidence.
Educating yourself or others in first aid is a decision that can have a significant impact on the lives of individuals and communities. Not only does it save lives, it also strengthens collective resilience in the face of emergencies. Investing in this training means investing in the safety and well-being of all.
What to do in an emergency ?
In an emergency situation, it’s essential to follow a few key steps, argues the trainer: first, assess the situation by securing the area for yourself and the victim, then check the person’s condition to determine whether he or she is conscious and breathing. Next, contact the emergency services, providing clear information on the location, the nature of the emergency and the victim’s condition.
The lateral safety position.
If the person is unconscious but breathing, place them in the lateral position.
This position enables the victim to hold on until help arrives, and prevents choking.
Before reaching this point, it is essential to check the person’s state of consciousness by first talking to them, or by touching and applying painful gestures to them if talking and touching have not been enough to establish their state of consciousness.
While waiting for help, continue to check that the victim is still breathing.
What to do when the victim stops breathing?
If the victim is no longer breathing, cardio-vascular resuscitation is required to restore breathing and blood circulation.
This involves performing 30 compressions on the victim’s chest, applying enough pressure to allow the heart to continue circulating blood. The duration of compression should correspond to the duration of relaxation, and the rhythm should be regular. The song “staying alive” provides a good rhythm for compressions.
During cardiac compression, make sure you keep your arms well supported, as the pressing force should come from your whole torso and not from your arms.
After 30 compressions, you do 2 insufflations (mouth-to-mouth) and then another series of 30 followed by insufflations.
You do this until the person starts breathing again, or until you can no longer do it properly.
what to do in case of choking?
If the victim is choking, if it’s an adult?
Place one of your closed fists between the navel and the lower end of the sternum. Hold your fist in place with your other hand. Press your fist firmly towards you and upwards. Repeat up to 5 times.
If it’s a child?
For back pats, place the child prone along your forearm, using your thigh or knees for support. Hold the child’s chest in your hand and jaw with your fingers. Point the infant’s head downwards and lower than the body. Strike 5 times with the palm of your hand between the shoulder blades.
Check the mouth to see if the aspirated foreign body is visible; if it can be easily removed, remove it.
If the object does not come out of the airway after 5 blows, turn the infant face up.
Hold the infant face up along your forearm, using your thigh or knee for support. Hold the head in your hand with the head lower than the torso.
Place 2 fingers in the middle of the infant’s sternum just below the nipples. Avoid the lower ribs or the tip of the sternum.
Perform up to 5 rapid thrusts, compressing the chest from about 1/3 to half the depth of the chest, usually about 1.5 to 4 cm for each thrust.
Continue to deliver 5 taps on the back followed by 5 taps on the chest until the object is dislodged or the infant becomes unconscious.
In the end, the participants were really happy, they were fully satisfied with the trainer’s professionalism and they were each able to practice first aid at least 3 times.
As well as satisfaction, they unanimously agreed that having a professional dummy would have been an added value to the course. But we did a lot with the little we had, in keeping with the Ubuntu spirit.