SLC21/WK1: Empowering Life-Saving Skills: A Guide to First Response and Basic First Aid

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Share your any experience of your life, in which you faced the emergency that could be handled by your own only if you know the basic first response skills.

About 12 years ago at my mum's restaurants in Ikot Abasi, Akwa Ibom, Nigeria, a young lady walk in to buy food she placed her order and her food was being prepared, she was coughing as if she was choked. Suddenly she got up and told my mum that she want to get something from her car outside. As she stepped out, she fell down, I notice it and ran to help her stand up, but when I got close to her I noticed that she was unconscious and struggling to breathe. I was surprised because I only thought she hit her leg but it was a different thing I saw.

At that moment I did not know what to do I was also scared I couldn't even move but then I didn't know how to help her at that situation.

I tried calling her to see if she would respond but she wasn't responding, I tried all possible means to make her respond but she wasn't responding by this time, she was already gasping for air, at this point that is when I knew that it wasn't a joke.

So I raised an alarm because I didn't know what else to do. Since my mum's restaurant was in a bank premises, there were other people who came to bank watching the scene from a distance so immediately I raised an alarm people rushed in and one lady saved her.

The responder keep asking where is the victims bag, where is her car, was she with anyone? it was at this point I remembered the last thing the lady said that she wanted to get something from her car, so immediately I told the lady that she was about getting something from her car then I rushed to her car while the responder was helping the victim. On getting to the car, I saw inhaler I rushed down with it, so actually she wanted to go get her inhaler but I was a novice I didn't know anything.

She sustained a big injury as she fell down which she was already bleeding seriously, she also had bone dislocation as the result of the fall because of her weight and the rod she fell on hit her badly.

It was at this point that I realized that I needed to know some basic first aid tips. Had it been I knew, I should have atleast observed the lady and quickly got her inhaler and that would have prevented her from falling by first getting her inhaler for her or would have be the responder and be sure she is fine and check her if she sustained any wound to stop bleeding.

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Imagine you are walking back home, when you witness a road traffic accident between a car and a motorcycle, and the motorcyclist is lying on the road, not moving. There’s some bleeding from his leg, and he appears to be unconscious. You being the first responder, how will you manage this scenario?

In this scenario, I will follow the DRABC procedures step by step to safe life. First I will quickly screen the environment for possible danger and ensure safety for both myself, the bystanders and the casualty, I would take practical step by placing a road sign signifying danger to alert other drivers to drive slowly. Check for possible thing that could possibly lead to explosion from the bike. This is to prevent more casualty scenes from occuring because anything can happen, if possible move the casualty from the road side to another nearest and safest location for assessment to avoid sustaining more injuries from broken glasses or rods.

Step 2; Next, i will assess the motorcyclist, check for response by gently squeezing his shoulders and ask him can you hear me? Open your eyes, What is your name? Squeeze my hands. This is to know if the person is conscious and already from the description question, he appears to be unconscious so I need to be sure. If there is no response, at this point I will send for help by telling someone to call the ambulance and report the scene immediately, telling them how serious it is so that they know what to come along with. Immediately I will check for injuries and proceed to the next step.

Step 3; I will check the airways and ensure it is open as the casualty is not responding the airways could be blocked. Check the mouth if it is blocked, if it blocked to clear it I will roll the victim to one side ensure his mouth is open and the head turned down slightly to allow any foreign materials such as food, blood, vomit etc to drain out, if it is deep I should avoid forcing it out to avoid other complications.

Then roll the victim back to lie on his back then I open the airways by perform the head-tilt/chin-lift maneuver by carefully tilting the head backward and lifting the chin.

This step is really necessary because it will help in effective breathing so at this point he should be resuscitated if the airways was actually blocked so he should be able to breathe therefore I will proceed to the next step.

Step 4; I will check his breathing by carefully observing the rise and fall of the chest and abdomen, I will also listen for air escaping from nose and mouth to be sure I feel the air movement from the nose and mouth for 10 seconds. This is to be sure that he is fine to prevent cardiac arrest but if the breathing is fine, I will place the casualty in the recovery position that is on his side to maintain an open airway. Basically, if the breathing is abnormal, at this point CPR is needed.

Step 6; check for circulation because the victim is already bleeding from the leg. I will check the leg to see how deep the injury is then proceed to stop the bleeding. It could be broken bones or deep cut so I will apply pressure on the leg with a clean cloth or bandage if possible elevate the leg to reduce blood loss.

Then I will continue to monitor vital signs till the ambulance arrives.

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Draw or Create an engaging illustration/flowchart of DRABC protocol

Design with canva

The info graphics illustrate the step by step DRABC procedures

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Write down the numbers of emergency services of your country/area on a paper

Below are the duties of this numbers 👇

1. They provide expertise treatment in cases of poisons emergencies

2. The response to any emergency cases that is related to road safety such as road accidents.

3. The act and move immediately to any location that is on fire and needs their services the rescue victims and they also help to quench the fire.

4. They give quick response to the incident location so as to act to prevent some crisis from happening depending on what happens.

5. They provide quick response to the accident scene so as to move the victims to the hospital while providing professional care in the ambulance by healthcare professionals.

6. They provide assistance during a capital they can tow your vehicle So the mechanic workshop for repair. They can as well provide emergency vehicle for rescue in case of medical emergency.

7. The offers help to those who are contemplating or who wants to commit suicide, They offer counselling support to them.

8. Provide compassionate and supports to any child that needs emergency care.

9. They provide safety for women/girls. They also protect women and girls victims and survivors of various forms of sexual and gender violence and abuses.

10. They response to any danger to the natural environment such as flooding river, they regulate waste sites, control illegal fishing, explosion of natural resources.

I will like to invite @dequeen @abijacob and @kidi40 to take part in this contest.