British Red Cross urges parents to take first aid training
The British Red Cross has launched a new campaign to urge parents to undergo at least a basic level of first aid training, just in case an emergency medical situation should affect their children or children’s friends.
Studies have shown that only a fraction of parents have undergone first aid training, and two-thirds of adults are not confident in administering CPR, dealing with bleeding and treating burns. This means that the majority will not be able to step in and help when a medical emergency takes place. Knowing even the basic life-saving techniques taught in first aid training courses can save lives.
The British Red Cross wants to change all this by encouraging parents to complete at least two short sessions of first aid training, if not a full course. Head of first aid information for the organisation, Joe Mulligan, said:
“It’s almost inevitable that a parent will encounter an emergency at some stage, either involving their own son, daughter or another child.
“We want more parents to take responsibility and regard first aid as a life skill.
“Only a tiny fraction of parents have first aid training and we lag behind many countries where it’s taught in schools.”