Surrey First Aid Awards

Surrey First Aid Training is proud to announce the launch of the ‘Surrey First Aid Awards 2013’. This fantastic celebration of local first aid hero’s in the community to celebrate the success stories of members of the public who have used lifesaving skills in the workplace, schools, at home and in the community.

The event will take place on the 16^th of November 2013 at the Ramada Jarvis Hotel Farnham, starting at 7.30pm and all profits will be donated to the Surrey Air Ambulance.

We want to hear your stories and why you feel yourself or the person you have nominated should be awarded with the Surrey First Aid Award 2013.

There are 3 different categories to enter dependant on your first aid experience:

• Young First Aider of the year (17 years and under)- A young member of the local community who has made a difference in an emergency situation.

• First Aider at work - Somebody who has saved a life or helped in an emergency in the workplace

• Surrey First Aider of the year- A hero in the community who has saved a life or made a difference by using first aid.

Why should you enter?

• Enjoy a fantastic evening of celebrations, with live entertainment, dinner and company of local celebrities.
• Celebrate the success of first aid with our award ceremony.
• It’s Free to enter!
• All winners will be celebrated in the local Surrey Advertiser and attend the event Free of charge.

How you can enter:

For information on requesting a nomination form you can visit www.surreyfirstaidawards.com

You can call directly on 01483 238 268

• The closing dates for entries is Friday, September 27^th, 2013
•  Tickets can be bought online, or over the phone for £25.00 each – All proceeds will be donated to ‘Surrey Air Ambulance’ service.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Epiglottitis as a first aid emergency

This week we have seen some new medical emergencies added to our trusty text book. One of these subjects is epiglottitis. A rare condition which if not treated quickly can result in death.

The epiglottis is a leaf shape flap that sits at the base of the tongue and protects our lungs from objects travelling down the windpipe. It can become infected and inflamed closing the windpipe or causing a spasm which if not treated quickly can cause serious breathing difficulties.

Causes of epiglottis swelling include respiratory infection, environmental exposure, or trauma may result in inflammation and infection of other structures around the throat. This may cause the throat structures to push the epiglottis backward. With continued inflammation and swelling of the epiglottis, complete blockage of the airway may occur, leading to suffocation and death.

Epiglottitis was first described in the 18th century, but was first accurately defined by Le Mierre in 1936. The most famous death from epiglottitis was that of the first President of the United States, George Washington, in 1796. His death was attributed to quinsy, which is a pocket of pus behind the tonsils, however it was actually due to epiglottitis.

• In the past, epiglottitis was more common in children than in adults. This difference was believed to be due to the smaller diameter of children's epiglottic opening when compared to adults.
• A slight narrowing of the windpipe can dramatically increase the resistance of an airway, making breathing much more difficult.
• According to NHS Choices, epiglottitis is most common in children aged between two and seven. However, epiglottitis is rare in the UK due to the vaccination of children against Hib B H influenza which is the bacteria that commonly caused epiglottitis.
• Epiglottitis occurs with different peaks in both children and adults. In children, epiglottitis typically peaks between the ages of 2 and 4 years old. In adults, it peaks between the ages of 20 and 40 years old.

Signs and symptoms of epiglottitis include:

• Flushed skin and a high temperature
• Abundance of Silvia drooling and difficulty gulping
• Quietness, the casualty does not speak or cough
• Sore throat

What should we do if we see the symptoms:

• Keep them calm and reassure
• Montior the breathing
• Call 999/112
• Try and get the casualty into a comfortable position
• Stay calm and comfort the casualty

• Purring

Out and About with Surrey First Aid

November has been a busy month for us here at Surrey First Aid Training, we have been trying to raise awareness of our Saving Lives In Surrey project.

The beginning of the month saw 15 of our trainers attend Ryden School in Surrey to teach personal safety, outdoor survival and first aid skills to the year 10 students.

The day was a great success and the 180 students moved from skill to skill finished with a scenario for them to deal with. All the young people on the day showed great ability to adapt to the situations and enjoyed the practical workshops.

The end of November was the Baby and Bump Fair in Surrey. The trainers headed down to spend the day talking to parents about the importance of first aid training skills and the number of accidents that happen at home. The information was well received by all parents involved and Surrey First Aid Training was very pleased to be invited.

Would you like Surrey First Aid to provide an informal talk on the benefits of first aid or personal safety? We don't charge, but any donations will be given to our Saving Lives in Surrey project. For more information call us on 0845 833 1493 or email enquires@surreyfirstaid.com

Focus on Parents: First Aid for Febrile Convulsions

This week we attended a course to teach some parents basic first aid and was asked about 'febrile convulsions'. One of the mums had dealt with this in her own infant in the last few weeks and was frightened by the incident. The baby became stiff, shook uncontrollably and its lips went blue. 

According to research febrile convulsions are more likely at this time of year, with a higher number of viruses around such as the common cold and flu.

Febrile convulsions are a relatively common medical emergency in babies and small children. According to NetDoctor it is suggested as many as 1 in 20 children under the age of 4 will have a fever related seizure at some point and the most common age being 18 months.

Febrile convulsions occur when the body temperature is above 38 degrees c (100.4f). This increase in temperature is normally triggered by an underlying infection, but in smaller babies under the age of 6 months it could be a result of becoming to warm to quick, such as walking into a warm shop and not removing layers of clothing.

As parents we have to remember babies and children and not little adults. They are still very underdeveloped and in the under 5's they lack the fully functional part of the brain which regulates temperature, called the hypothalamus. As a result getting to hot can result in the baby or child fitting. There is no doubt that witnessing a febrile convulsion is a very frightening experience. But with a justifiable reason for the fit, you need to stay calm as the first aid treatment is well within your ability!

What to do if a child has a Febrile Convulsion?

1. Firstly stay calm, panicking will not help the situation.
2. Next pick up the child or baby and remove every layer of clothing, including wet nappies which hold a considerable amount of heat.
3. Open doors and windows, turn a fan on if you have one and get some air circulating.
4. DO NOT THROW WATER ON THEM OR ANYTHING COLD
5. Note the time. A febrile convulsion can last anything from a few seconds to 15 minutes or more depending on the type of seizure complex or simple seizures.
6. Call an ambulance. Get the help that you need, if the child has got an underlying virus they may need antibiotics, tests and hospital treatment.

Febrile convulsion do not harm children.  Almost all children make a complete recovery, and there is not a single reported case of a child dying as the result of a febrile seizure. They found no evidence of an increased risk of death in later childhood or adulthood or any link to Epilepsy. The known complications with febrile convulsion come after the child has stopped fitting as they will become very tired and may become unconscious. If this is the case we need to think back to our basic assessment as this is when they are at risk.

D - angers: They will be in danger if we leave them lying flat on their back.

R- esponse: Try waking them up by blowing in their face and tickling the feet.

A- irways: If you cannot wake them up then you need to lift the chin and tilt the head back to open the airway.

B- reathing: Check they are breathing by placing your ear down to their nose and mouth for 10 seconds).

If they are breathing place them on their side and check their airways is clear and open.

Preventing a Febrile Convulsion

Unfortunately, we now know that if a child goes unconcious after a seizure and they are in their cot or bed lying flat, they can be at risk of positional asphyxiation as their tongue rolls down their throat, this will stop them breathing. 

To avoid a febrile convulsion from happening in the first place the recommendation is we be aware when our child is poorly and ensure that have taken the recommended amount of calpol to help reduce the temperature and seek medical advice.  We also recommend with small babies under 6 months they sleep in your bedroom, or alternatively you purchase equipment which allows you to recognise when a baby is fitting, such as the movement sensitive mattress. Remember babies and children are fine to sleep in relatively cool rooms and do not need to be wrapped up anywhere near as much as you think, the ideal temperature for a baby to sleep in is between 16 and 20 degrees! (brrrr!). If they get to cold they will wake up and cry.

The advice above does not replace good first aid training. To find out more about first aid training for parents which is delivered over 2 hours and includes the subjects CPR, unconcious child and baby, choking, febrile convulsions, head injuries, burns and poisons. Contact us on 01483 238268 or email enquiries@parentfirstaid.com

Local Hero Awards Surrey 2012 - Learning First Aid

On Thursday evening the Surrey First Aid Training team enjoyed a fantastic night out at the G Live venue in Guildford celebrating the Eagle Radio`s Local Heroes 2012 event.We were pleased to be invited after Jordan  our Course Manager nominated Tara for her on-going efforts to provide First Aid knowledge to the public, raising charity awareness to local charities and a passion for Community Responding for Rushmoor and Surrey Heath Community First Responders.

The evening honoured 30 different heroes in our community in their efforts to make a difference. Some of the awards including, neighbour of the year, bravery award and contribution to charity. Special guest appearances from Lemar, John James Newman and the Eagle Radio crew made the evening entertaining and great fun; some of those being awarded had very humbling stories and we were touch by the support shown for our own funraising events.

The judges said they were very impressed with Surrey First Aid Training's community spirit and we are pleased to say so far we have raised over £2000 for our Saving Lives charities through our blog and free community first aid courses, our target is £10,000. It was a wonderful occasion for all involved and had the pleasure to be invited. 

Alicia our Finance Administrator and Jordan Course Manager

If you are interested in learning first aid skills to make a difference or would like to find out more about the charities we support including Community First Responding get in touch by emailing enquiries@surreyfirstaid.com or phone us on 01483 238268. More details can be found on our website www.surreyfirstaid.com

The team meet Lemar

How to teach a 4 year old first aid and make it fun

There is no doubt the importance of learning first aid. Several of the first aid providers in the UK are campaigning to get some basic first aid skills taught in schools, this would be fantastic and is already on the curriculum in many other countries including Germany.

However first aid can be taught to all children anywhere for any age and it does not need be taught by a first aid instructor. OK, so you might not be able to teach a 4 year old how to perform CPR just yet, but there is plenty of other concepts in first aid you could teach them and your own children; in a way which is fun, understandable and most importantly simple, you don't need to be qualified to have some first aid fun.

Bandaging and Applying a Sling

Most of us have a box of old first aid bandages somewhere around at work or at home. Try teaching the 4 year old the importance of cleaning a wound, to prevent infection and to stop the pain. Once you have had some fun applying the water, now they need to add some pressure. Let them experiment with the bandages.  They could try head bandages, by tying the bandages around the head like a bandaner and tying it together at the front. They could try bandaging arms and legs using dressings, this is great way to teach them how to tie a bow at the same time, or they could even try bandaging fingers and feet.

Once they are bandaged  all over! you could use a sling to secure the dressings they have applied in a very simple way, without the need for pins.

Step 1

Step 2

Take a sling at the shortest corner, tie a large knot. Place one side of the sling against the arm and the other round the back. Join the two sides together and tie around the shoulder blades. Simple and effective.

Step 3

Finished sling

Step 4

Stretchers

A good way to get children into first aid is to take them outside and build a stretcher from wood. You will need to find sticks approx 10, with 2 large sticks to act as the central support.

Place the small sticks all the way across and use rope to secure it. The children are now ready to transport their patients to hospital, just like an ambulance. Let them explore and play and you will be surprised what  first aid stories they make up!

Our children built a stretcher, used the box as an ambulance and bandaged heads, arms and feet!

Recovery Position

Remember a patient who is not moving (unconscious) but breathing is only safe on their side. Teach the little ones how to put someone on their side. Set them the challenge to see what ways they can do this. Explain why you put someone on their side and show them how you would do it. Have fun rolling over and over.

These may only be simple methods of learning basic first aid but you will be surprised by what the children get out of it. Why not have a go?

Its Here! Our new First Aid Box specifically designed by our trainers

We are very pleased to announce Surrey First Aid Training has launched its own first aid box specifically for carers of babies and children. 

We have worked hard to find a content which we know is suitable for the care of babies and children but also meets OFSTED requirements. The box is beautifully designed to look good in your bathroom or nursery. It is also an ideal size for the car or trips away.

Our box contains the following kit:

·         Eye pad small x 2

·         Small sterile wound dressings x 4

·         Childrens plasters x 30

·         Medium gloves x 2

·         Low adherent pads (small) x 10

·         Face shield x 1

·         Scissors x1

·         Eye solutions (20ml) x 5

·         Traxit thermometer x 2

·         Finger bandage x2

·         Triangle bandage small x 2

·         Burns Gel x 2

·         Ice pack x 1

·         Micro porous tap x 1

·         Crepe bandage (small) x1

·         Support bandage x 1

·         1 First Aid Guidance Leaflet

The first aid box can be purchased from our office, on first aid courses or alternatively on Amazon. The cost is £20 (plus postage and packaging) and £1 is contributed to The Child Accident Prevention Trust for every box sold. Please call our office on 01483 238268 for more information we look forward to providing more details in the coming weeks.

Buy now on Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/First-Aid-box-babies-children/dp/B008FZPLKG/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1341323461&sr=8-9