It was an interesting prospect – attending a course to learn skills that one would hope to never use. On Sunday 13 October, the Sports Department had arranged for an accredited organisation, CERT Academy, to teach us how to perform CPR (cardio pulmonary resuscitation) and how to use an AED (automated external defibrillator). We have several of these machines at various locations around the Club. Have you ever noticed? I found myself looking as I walked from the back car park to the Banquet Hall.
The course was a mixture of videos, theory and, most importantly, practicals. This allowed the 30 of us who had signed up, to apply the theory we had learnt.
The course focused on heart attacks, strokes, and cardiac arrests – how to recognise a situation, which questions to ask, and what actions to take. We learned how to handle curious onlookers, how to ask for assistance, and how to perform the potentially lifesaving skill of CPR, and how to use the AED. This all serves to buy time for the victim until the paramedics arrive.
We were assessed at the end, both with a practical test, and a theory test, and happily, we will all receive our certificates in a couple of weeks. I will be looking at my notes regularly so that I keep the training fresh in my mind.
Reflecting on it, I think the hardest thing would be to step up and help. There would be a lot of doubt and some fear, but I would like to think that armed with this knowledge, I would step forward, and maybe, just maybe, buy time for someone.
