First Aid training

[Shaun]

I had a very Shocking experience last Thursday morning. I went around to a very very good friends house about 30 minutes after speaking to him on the phone, to find him lying on the floor just inside his front door, face down, not breathing and no pulse.

Instantly called 111 after checking for breathing and a pulse, 111 were fantastic with instructions, and I proceeded to do CPR " Cardio pulmonary resuscitation to try to get my mate going again.

Very long story cut short, after 127 pumps on his chest his eye moved, he was trying to re gain life and at 537 pumps on his chest the Ambulance crew arrived and took over, and got his heart beat semi stable, but he had another heart attack on the way to the hospital, and passed away at a later time.

The point to this is, If I had known more about first aid, and the man had not had a serious heart attach, I may have been able to keep my mate walking on this earth, the time he was down and not breathing and pumping was the problem long term.

A Road car crash with no one around and your first aid skills could keep a another human alive on earth, so I urge as many people as possible to get into a thorough first aid course, in case your future skills are needed.

RIP MOTION Ride on and ride hard man:sunny:

[HenryDorsetCase]

Sorry to hear about your friend Shaun.

I can only agree with you though. I did a two day first aid course a few years ago, which was aimed at outdoor activities, but they teach CPR also. Totally worthwhile.

In fact you've reminded me to look for a refresher course.

The St Johns ones are excellent.

[froggyfrenchman]

I have to agree, its great training to have.
Can be quite pricey, but most employers will happily pay for staff to do a course if they want it.

[yungatart]

It is certainly a good skill to have. As Froggy says, most employers are happy to pay for it. You never know when it will be needed.
Sorry to hear your mate didn't make it. My condolences to you.

[Shaun]

Cheers Guys, the good thing about Helping keep him going for a while was, his Daughters and his wife got to see him smile for the last time just as he moved on.


Go train hard crew.

[rustic101]

Go train hard crew.

Well done, great effort clearly from a great mate..

I'd like to expand your advice of individuals being 1st aid trained and suggest that riders should carry a first aid kit and fire extinguisher on their bikes (or back pack), also a multi tool.

[firefighter]

The point to this is, If I had known more about first aid, and the man had not had a serious heart attach, I may have been able to keep my mate walking on this earth

No mate you did well. Chances are he may have still died with an AED ready to slap on him straight away.

A friend of mine is PHEC qualified (as am I) and even with all the extra training etc we do on top of that, his girlfriends uncle still died from a very similar situation, in fact he was right there when the uncle collapsed so started right away and he still died.

Don't for a second beat yourself up or think that you should have been able to save him. You did exactly what CPR is supposed to do; you kept in alive until the ambos turned up. Good work.....

[Gone Burger]

Very very sorry to hear this mate. Thoughts and condolences are with you.

I commend you for all that you did do for him, and I believe even with first aid training and experience there may have been nothing more that you could do for him. You did an amazing job of CPR, and it is utterly exhausting and terrifying. Well done you, you need to be proud of yourself in this situation.

I have just done my refresher first aid course, and also urge people to do them. I knew the basics, but this has equipped me with the knowledge on how to approach and deal with several different situations to the best of my ability, and gives me confidence that I may be able to help if it is ever needed. The main reason I wanted to do this is because most weeks I go on large group rides. It's an awful thought, but it's hard not to think that one day you just may have to be in a situation out on the road when you DO need to act, and first aid training is a very good start.

I hope you have some wonderful support around you Shaun through this time. In my eyes, and I know you would have been in his too, you are a hero.

[SMOKEU]

Don't beat yourself up about not being able to save your mate. You can't cheat death.

[Shaun]

Thanks for the mental support folks. I am not NO Longer beating myself up, but for the 2 days after the event, all I wished was I was killed in my bike crash, I know that is Pathetic, but with my current on going repairing serious head injuries, it was just how I fealt and reacted to it.

In Hind sight, this has shown me a new lease of life ( Thanks Motion) and I will no longer ever have a wo is me moment, there is always others in a worse situation.

I will 100% be going ahead with Proffesional first aid training, and a local company owner who was also a friend of Motion, had contacted me this morning to say they are Paying for me to do it:yes:

Happy days folks

[Gone Burger]

Thanks for the mental support folks. I am not NO Longer beating myself up, but for the 2 days after the event, all I wished was I was killed in my bike crash, I know that is Pathetic, but with my current on going repairing serious head injuries, it was just how I fealt and reacted to it.

In Hind sight, this has shown me a new lease of life ( Thanks Motion) and I will no longer ever have a wo is me moment, there is always others in a worse situation.

I will 100% be going ahead with Proffesional first aid training, and a local company owner who was also a friend of Motion, had contacted me this morning to say they are Paying for me to do it:yes:

Happy days folks

Well done Shaun - a wonderful attitude to come away with, and one we should all be so lucky in sharing.

[Shaun]

Well done Shaun - a wonderful attitude to come away with, and one we should all be so lucky in sharing.



Cheers Katiepie, after Dying on the operating table 3 times after my crash, I AM THE LUCKIEST MAN ALIVE, and will go forward with that attitude

[Genestho]

..there is always others in a worse situation.



Absolutely agree on that one!!! ALWAYS!!!

No matter how hard things can seem.

Good on you Shaun.

My girlfriend lost her (very young) man after a heart attack, she did chest compressions and breathing, but unfortunately lost him anyway...turned out later there was possibly nothing she could've done as a long standing problem was found.

Having First Aid knowledge should be a must, I've done four courses in my adult lifetime and well overdue a refresher course, thanks for the reminder..

Good luck with continued healing.. :sunny:

[avgas]

Can be quite pricey
Its dirt cheap.
$2-300 for 2 days training.

Compare that to all the other training course out there, you will be hard to find one less than $700 a DAY!

Go do it people. It WILL save some else's life, perhaps even your own.

[avgas]

No mate you did well..........Don't for a second beat yourself up or think that you should have been able to save him. You did exactly what CPR is supposed to do; you kept in alive until the ambos turned up. Good work.....
What he said.

You took a dead man, and increased his chance of continued life from 0% to 10%. And you managed to get him ALIVE again, even for a short period of time.

You gave life man.

[Gone Burger]

Its dirt cheap.
$2-300 for 2 days training.

Compare that to all the other training course out there, you will be hard to find one less than $700 a DAY!

Go do it people. It WILL save some else's life, perhaps even your own.

I was very lucky to have had my course paid for. I lived in a rural community for the past 3 years, up the Akatarawa Road. And the Hutt Valley Emergency Office paid for 16 of the residents to be trained and certified in first aid in case of a disaster that could isolate us up there by wiping out the road and cutting us off. I moved out a few months ago to a new suburb, but was an "honorary resident" for the day to do my refresher course 2 years on and I am very thankful for it. We even have a defibrillator up there as it would take an ambulance approx. 40 or more minutes to get to the residents closer to the summit. A truly wonderful community that is very close, and will pull together very quickly in the case of an emergency of any kind. How I miss living there, that will never be replaced.

[avgas]

We even have a defibrillator up there as it would take an ambulance approx. 40 or more minutes to get to the residents closer to the summit.
Interesting fact, most businesses should have one of these as a requirement.

Chance of survival with CPR = 0-5%
Chance of survival with defib = 0-40%

With NZ workers getting older and older I am surprised it not an OSH requirement yet.
When you think about it - its more important that a fire extinguisher (waits for ed to appear).

[steve_t]

Interesting fact, most businesses should have one of these as a requirement.



Or at least know the closest one is. We have a Fire Station across the road and a Medical Centre next door so I'm not rushed to get one. I see they're only (only) $3000-4000 for an AED these days. They're awesome and idiot proof. Spoken instructions on where to place the pads and they can't shock unless there's VF or no heartbeat

[DangerMice]

When I was 21 my Dad had a heart attack while working on our roof. He stopped because he felt funny, I took one look at him and called the ambulance before he even collapsed.

I did CPR on him immediately until the fire crew turned up (they had the ladder to get him down safely). By the time they got him down the ambo had arrived and they worked on him for about 30 mins before deciding there was nothing more they could do.

The autopsy revealed he's had several smaller ones previously, but hadn't noticed. I beat myself up for a long time but sometimes there's just nothing you can do.

Those 20 mins I spent on the roof were the longest 20 minutes of my life, but the lessons I'd had at primary school no less came flooding back. I've since done a 2 day red cross course, and keep doing the refreshers. you never know when you'll need the skills.

Well done Shaun, you did your best, that's all anyone can ask.

[froggyfrenchman]

Its dirt cheap.
$2-300 for 2 days training.

Compare that to all the other training course out there, you will be hard to find one less than $700 a DAY!

Go do it people. It WILL save some else's life, perhaps even your own.

Agree 100% - im always current for first aid training. Comes in handy supprisingly often

[wysper]

Cheers Guys, the good thing about Helping keep him going for a while was, his Daughters and his wife got to see him smile for the last time just as he moved on.


Go train hard crew.


Hey Shaun. As a dad and a husband, this gift you gave to him and his family would be unbelievably precious. That is an amazing thing you did, and condolences to you also. Sad times.

[avgas]

Or at least know the closest one is. We have a Fire Station across the road and a Medical Centre next door so I'm not rushed to get one. I see they're only (only) $3000-4000 for an AED these days. They're awesome and idiot proof. Spoken instructions on where to place the pads and they can't shock unless there's VF or no heartbeat
I told my not to worry about it.
If he dies I know how to jump start him using mains.




he is looking into one.

[SPman]

The autopsy revealed he's had several smaller ones previously, but hadn't noticed. I beat myself up for a long time but sometimes there's just nothing you can do.

That is quite common, where someone just collapses - it's often the major after a series of little ones that you barely notice. (bit sore in the chest today...feeling a bit knackered for some reason....got a sore jaw, don't know why....) Mine started off as a minor, but luckily I noticed it before it turned into a major and got into hospital to get it sorted, but a lot aren't so lucky. When they have a heart attack - there's then not much you can do - except try and keep them alive until the professionals turn up.....

[Oakie]

Its dirt cheap.
$2-300 for 2 days training.

Compare that to all the other training course out there, you will be hard to find one less than $700 a DAY!

Go do it people. It WILL save some else's life, perhaps even your own.

$180 for the two-day Red Cross one in Chch. I'm about to organise a refresher for a bunch of our people at work where everyone has to have one.

Glad you've come out of this one OK Shaun. I did it for real on a cyclist a few years back unsucessfully. It screwed me up for ages and I couldn't figure out why. Our Industrial Chaplain eventually spent 10 minutes with me and nailed the problem which was related to me doing everything right but still 'losing' (there was a bit of my sporting background at play which I hadn't picked.)

Also did some study after an unsuccesful CPR at work and discovered some stats which indicated that even if someone has a heart attack requiring CPR in a hospital, the chances of pulling through were only just over 50/50. Incidentally, the guy who did our last revalidation used to be a New York fireman. He had done CPR some 400 times. 7 were successful.

[Edbear]

Interesting fact, most businesses should have one of these as a requirement.

Chance of survival with CPR = 0-5%
Chance of survival with defib = 0-40%

With NZ workers getting older and older I am surprised it not an OSH requirement yet.
When you think about it - its more important that a fire extinguisher (waits for ed to appear).

You rang...? :innocent:


$180 for the two-day Red Cross one in Chch. I'm about to organise a refresher for a bunch of our people at work where everyone has to have one.

Glad you've come out of this one OK Shaun. I did it for real on a cyclist a few years back unsucessfully. It screwed me up for ages and I couldn't figure out why. Our Industrial Chaplain eventually spent 10 minutes with me and nailed the problem which was related to me doing everything right but still 'losing' (there was a bit of my sporting background at play which I hadn't picked.)

Also did some study after an unsuccesful CPR at work and discovered some stats which indicated that even if someone has a heart attack requiring CPR in a hospital, the chances of pulling through were only just over 50/50. Incidentally, the guy who did our last revalidation used to be a New York fireman. He had done CPR some 400 times. 7 were successful.

Ouch! Odds aren't that great, are they? I should do a refresher as I'm way overdue for one, but my wife gets regular courses as part of her job and is up to date. Very worth while and perhaps should be a part of the school curriculum? Maybe for College?

Shaun you've been an inspiration to many for a long time with what you have been through and this only adds to the respect you have gained here. We would all like to think we would do the same, but we never know until we are placed in that position, how we will cope.

After my accident, although I've always had the greatest respect for those who attend, my admiration took a jump up again for the incredible professionalism, kindness and gentleness with which I was treated by all!

[Oakie]

: Ouch! Odds aren't that great, are they? !

I guess in the fireman's case he was probably generally more than 4 minutes away when the victim went down which cuts the chances a lot. I guess that illustrates that what's important is not a few people knowing a lot but more so having a lot of people on the ground just knowing enough to keep someone going until the professionals arrive.

[Shaun]

When I was 21 my Dad had a heart attack while working on our roof. He stopped because he felt funny, I took one look at him and called the ambulance before he even collapsed.

I did CPR on him immediately until the fire crew turned up (they had the ladder to get him down safely). By the time they got him down the ambo had arrived and they worked on him for about 30 mins before deciding there was nothing more they could do.

The autopsy revealed he's had several smaller ones previously, but hadn't noticed. I beat myself up for a long time but sometimes there's just nothing you can do.

Those 20 mins I spent on the roof were the longest 20 minutes of my life, but the lessons I'd had at primary school no less came flooding back. I've since done a 2 day red cross course, and keep doing the refreshers. you never know when you'll need the skills.

Well done Shaun, you did your best, that's all anyone can ask.



Man I feal for you on this one. Loosing Blood is the hardest thing on earth to do, I know as my dad died when I was only 9, and that set me on a path of trying to make the world hate me so I would never feal that pain again if some one I knew was to die ( To discuvour that about myself took from the age of 13 -19 of writing to myself every day) and DAM did the system hate my attitude hahahahahaha

It is apparent from what you have said, that you AS I DO, realise that we are NOT GOD and WE did do our best in the scenario

PEOPLE ARE NEVER DEAD UNTILL THEY ARE FORGOTTEN

# 37 ( My Traditional race no in NZ Was My fathers age at his departure from earth)

I talk to the man everyday of my life still, and regualary stop in at the Patea Cemetary RSA Plots with a BEER and a CIGARETE ( For both of us) to have with my mate/Dad:woohoo:

Thanks for sharing on here folks, you have all helped me more than most will know


HUGE PS, thankyou to all the AMBO folk and Flag marshall people on here that have to deal with these issues for us, ROCK ON

[ynot slow]

Cheers Katiepie, after Dying on the operating table 3 times after my crash, I AM THE LUCKIEST MAN ALIVE, and will go forward with that attitude

I died on operating table once,and that was enough too,life is precious,we all know what is required,just sometimes we get lucky.Agree always someone worse off,don't agree with me visit an oncology ward,back injury ward.

My mum had a heart attack at work in '98,she worked accross the road from a medical centre,was wheelchaired accross(she wanted to walk)admitted and although a minor attack scared the crap out of us kids.She was lucky as she had done surf lifesaving as a kid,knew the drill,and her co-workers had done basic first aid.