It was quite a childish fantasy, probably inspired by a movie I had watched where a man revives a little girl who had drowned by administering CPR (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardiopulmonary_resuscitation). The thought of making a heart that's stopped come alive again was incredibly awe inspiring to my 12 year-old mind.

But somewhere between school, life and work, that fascination atrophied into much less noble desires and joined my long list of childish fantasies( next to owning a bookshop, a zoo, an ice cream parlour and a baby elephant) all of which ended up in la la land. So much so that when i agreed to sign up for the Red Cross Society's First Aid course last weekend I was expecting a boring old workshop with trainers demonstrating how to treat injuries, to tie a bandage and maybe at its most exciting how to give CPR.

But hey, I went for Day One with an open mind, an empty notebook and was praying I would last the whole 8 hours! It turned out I was with a group of Preschool/Montessori teachers and the course would be in Sinhala ! Now i don't have a problem with Sinhala, but considering my super-snailspace Sinhala writing skills I was already beginning to munch the top of my pen in anxiety. Halfway into the core of my ballpoint our trainer made his appearance....Mr. X who seemed somewhere in his 60's and appeared far too frail and gentle to be teaching us about the Fireman's lift or how to pump life back into someone's heart at 100 compressions per minute.

It soon occurred to me that Mr. X knew his stuff.(& thankfully gave us English terminology too) He went about the drill with straight-faced humor and ten ladies as his rapt audience, the perfect trainer, blending real life scenarios with slapstick humor to drive his point across. First-Aid is not for the faint of heart ..If you walk in with an intense fear of blood, guts and gore I suggest you either summon your inner fear-squasher or re-examine why you wish to be sitting there in the first place. But it IS for those who want to revisit that feeling of having the skill to make a difference, to save a life. And so I swallowed by fears and listened.

The class began slowly with our trainer helping us define what exactly First-Aid meant and what it means to bear the badge of a First-Aider. "Would you think twice about helping someone lying on the road after an accident?" In this country? Hell Yes! I'm either liable to be accused of causing the accident in the first place or worse yet to get sued by the victim's family for "doing something to him". Naturally we Sri Lankans tend to look the other way, yes? But what if the tables were turned? ....."If you were lying there injured on the road would you want someone to help you?" Now that got me wondering....

Here we are shooting the breeze about "doing something" about the country, the world, and the society we live in, when most of us wouldn't think twice about turning our heads away when we see a man dying on the street. There I was remembering my childish fantasy which suddenly didn't seem so childish after all. Maybe children are more noble than most adults put together. Maybe we should revisit some of our childish desires, provided children today have time and opportunity to make up their own little minds. But I found some inspiration in that First Aid class...inspiration and a little shame that I let the world almost kill my desire to do the right thing.

So what sort of First-Aider would I be ? Would I look the other way or would I stop and help? Surprisingly I found my answer in my own question (which is better left unsaid so as not to upset my mother and my friends who go ballistic every time I bounce crazy intentions off them;)

Let's get to understanding First Aid.

Before the course if anyone asked me what First-Aid meant I'd have told them it's about attending to minor injuries, maybe giving CPR in worst case scenarios...all very matter-of-fact. But after sitting through 16 hours with Mr. X and Mrs. Y (our Day Two Trainer) I am blessed with a whole new perspective.

While laying out the entire length of the course is not the purpose of my article I will share some points which stuck with me.

• First Aid Evolves - so the life-saving methods you learnt 2 years ago have changed drastically since then. (ex CPR, Wound treatments - The same applies to medication)
• The trainers also teach you to prepare for legal scenarios of your actions. (Safeguarding self-interest, precautionary measures in case of accidents, dealing with the law or avoiding it etc)
• A First Aider needs to be healthy (you need to be fit to lift someone or even give CPR at 100 compressions per minute)
• The character of a First-Aider counts. (Are you patient? can you keep calm? take control in chaos? be a leader? handle blood and gore without panic or disgust? not let racial/social status influence your desire to help?)
• Prevention is Best - Self Preservation is Key (Jump into an emergency situation only after proper assessment)
• NEVER administer medication/drugs (It is Not the duty of a First-Aider to recommend medication-that's the doctor's job!)
• Water can solve a lot of problems! (The Singular treatment for wounds, sprains, poisoning and burns..helps in most other emergencies as well, fainting)
• Paracetamol can kill you (35 patients a month enter hospital with kidney/liver failure due to incessant Paracetamol popping..2 pills in 8 hours is a rule not a recommendation)
• The usual yellow, purple solutions/plasters & the likes are no longer safe for treating wounds (Apparently Betadine is the only solution for fighting wounds, burns)
• Never depend on equipment to Save a life.
• What applies to Adults doesn't apply to children or babies (First-Aid for children is a different ball game..CPR, Choking etc)
• Keep Oral Rehydration Salts handy.(ORS)..in the house/classroom/office. (ex. Jeevani is a good treatment for poison ingestion & even food poisoning)

Essential First Aid skills can be learnt in 2 days but my curiosity to learn more might drive me back for a more rigorous course.

And apart from making my family and friends roll their eyes at my random rattling of First Aid trivia I am immensely happy to be equipped with this new found knowledge. But unlike most other times where I can hardly wait to put any newly acquired skill to practice I am happy just to be prepared with this one.

For now however I know this much ... I walked into that Red Cross First-Aid class feeling uncertain and insecure about my skills - I walked out feeling empowered, confident and valuable...feeling like I want to save a life once again.

For more information contact:
SRI LANKA RED CROSS - School of First Aid

12/A Araliya Gardens, Nawala
Telephone: +94 11-2882592

THE RED CROSS SOCIETY

http://www.redcross.lk/
307, 2/1 T.B.Jaya Mawatha
Colombo
Sri Lanka
Telephone: +94 11 2691095 or 11-5555505 (Nugegoda)
FAX: +94 11 2695434
E-mail: slrcs@redcross.lk

The Red Cross in Sri Lanka has over 70 years of experiences in conducting first aid services during disasters including tsunami and other national and local events. SLRCS through experienced instructors regularly conducts First aid training courses for volunteers and as well as commercial first aid training for institutions and factories .