Resolve to be Ready! Five Life-Saving Certifications and Trainings
Saturday, December 31, 2016
Author: ASPR/OPP Division of Policy and Strategic Planning
No one knows exactly what 2017 will bring, but we do know emergencies happen across the country every year. They could come in the form of natural disasters, man-made events, disease outbreaks, or everyday events like heat waves and power outages.
But no one is helpless. Kick off the New Year on a positive note and inspire the change many communities need to become more resilient!
When it comes to national health security, the most important way you can help is making sure you, your family, and your fellow residents are prepared and resilient in the face of any events that could harm your health. A great way to do this is to become certified or complete training in areas that help create better bystanders during and after disasters.
Here are five examples of training, certifications, and programs you can find in your area. These trainings provide life-saving skills that you can use to help improve your community’s health resilience, and in turn, our nation’s health security.
First Aid
The basics are a great place to start! Yet this basic training has lifesaving potential. First aid training is widely available and can be completed in just a few hours. This training can teach you to provide the care someone needs while waiting for medical professionals or first responders during or after a disaster. The American Red Cross offers a wide range of first aid courses and a selection of mobile apps available
for free download, including first aid and pet first aid!
CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation)
CPR is a lifesaving technique that can be incredibly useful in both disaster events as well as every day. This training can be applied in any event in which someone’s breathing or heartbeat has stopped. This could happen as a result of a heart attack or a near-drowning event. The American Red Cross offers training both online and in-person, so everyone can find an option that works for their schedule or learning style. They offer First Aid and AED training too!
AED (automated external defibrillator)
Learn how, and when, to use a defibrillator. According to the American Red Cross, the average response time for first responders once 911 is called is 8 to 12 minutes. And the chance of survival for someone in need of defibrillation is reduced 10% for each minute that passes without it. However, after just a few short hours, you can learn how to help save a life in an event where an AED is needed.
Emergency Care
What do you get when you take first aid, CPR, and AED training and combine them into one powerful preparedness package? Emergency care training! Many of the same organizations that offer individual training will also offer combination courses that can certify you in all three areas. While the individual training are incredibly useful in disaster and everyday health security efforts, taking them together can make you a better bystander overall.
Stop the Bleed!
This quick and easy online training from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security focuses on teaching bystanders to stop the bleed by applying a tourniquet correctly. A person who is bleeding can die from blood loss within five minutes, so it’s critical that bystanders do what they can to stop the blood loss among the injured.
Join other communities just like yours across the country and resolve to be ready! Work hand in hand with neighbors to get trained so you can keep one another safe and healthy in disasters and every day.
For more information on national health security, visit www.PHE.gov/NHSS.