Everyone should be able to provide first aid. September 11 is an important holiday

Today almost anyone, even without medical training, can save another person’s life. Nearly 10 percent of people die because no one is around to stop the bleeding or perform CPR. This figure could have been almost half as much if a person with basic first aid skills had been near the victims.

History of the holiday

The first analogues of ambulance brigades appeared in ancient Jerusalem, in 1080. In the Russian Empire, they first emerged only in the 19th century, in Warsaw, and then spread to Ukraine and western Russia.

Although emergency aid has always played an important role in saving lives, the holiday did not appear until 2000. It was organized by a group of Red Cross volunteers.

By celebrating this day they wanted to draw attention to a very important problem: a person’s life can be saved in 95% of cases if help is provided in the first hour. After one hour without emergency medical action, the chances of survival decrease dramatically.

Key skills for saving lives

There are some simple skills that everyone can learn. Knowing them can save the life of an injured person, because medical assistance does not always have the ability to get to the scene of the accident quickly. These skills include:

It is also useful to learn the first steps of action in case of intoxication or poisoning by poisonous substances, carbon monoxide or alcohol.

What to do in an emergency situation?

Even if you don’t have the emergency skills to help someone who is sick, there are several steps that anyone can take. Before paramedics arrive, you should:

1.​Make sure the victim is in a safe place. The body should be in a comfortable position – back straight, head sideways. If spinal injuries are suspected, do not move the patient.

2.​If the victim is conscious, you need to know his name, phone number of next of kin, allergies to medicines – this will save time to help after the arrival of doctors.

3.​Find out about chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, and details of the injury.

4. ​Organize an ambulance meeting so that medics can get to the patient unhindered.

Thus, anyone can save a person’s life, and it is not necessary to have a medical education. The holiday is celebrated so that people remember that providing emergency care in the first hour can save the life of more than 90% of patients.