                          SUBMITTED BY  
  
                          DAVID DEITSCH  
                    OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH NURSE  
                       CITY OF LOS ANGELES  
               (213) 485-2923  FAX (213) 485-8765  
_________________________________________________________________

   FIRST AID TRAINING: PEACE OF MIND FOR THE RELUCTANT RESCUER


Next to disaster relief, first aid training is probably the service
most of us associate most directly with the American Red Cross
(ARC).  No one can count the number of ordinary citizens who have
learned lifesaving skills from ARC. volunteers, or the number of
lives those citizens have gone on to save.  Modern Red Cross first
aid training has gone way beyond the "patch-em' and haul-em'"
courses of days gone by.  Today, the first aid student can enjoy a
highly professional, polished course of video demonstrations backed
by realistic practice of the vital skills we will need after the
coming big earthquake, a car accident, or home emergency.  Take the
Standard First Aid course, for example.  It requires only four
hours of time, on two evenings.  But after these eight hours of
simple, enjoyable instruction, the student will have learned how to
examine the injury victim, adult cardio-pulmonary resuscitation
(CPR), control of severe bleeding, management of broken bones,
heart attack, stroke, and poisoning.

But why should the private citizens bother themselves with such
knowledge?  Won't the paramedics do it for us?  Besides, who would
help a sick stranger anyway?

Consider, even with the best of paramedic services, there will
always be some delay before they arrive.  What is done by the
layman during those essential minutes may make the difference. 
Consider, there will be a major earthquake here in Southern
California, probably within our lifetime.  There may be a delay of
up to 72 hours before professional rescuers reach some victims.  In
the recent Northern California earthquake, almost 90% of lifesaving
was done by private citizens, acting with their neighbors. 
Consider that the injured party may not be a stranger.  It may be
a family member, or friend, or you.

What good is first aid training?  It's good for building
confidence.  It's good for peace of mind.  And, maybe it will be
necessary to save a life.

Your local chapter of the American Red Cross can give you
information about first aid training for you and your family.  Call
and ask.

SIDE NOTE:  Does first aid training work?  At a recent conference
of the American Heart Association, Dr. W. Douglas Weaver reported
that in the City of Seattle, the survival rate from heart attack
has gone up from 5% to 30% since 1968.  The reason?  High quality
paramedic services combined with widespread training of citizens in
CPR.  Dr. Weaver noted that 70% of cardiac arrests occur at home,
and 90% of the time, the victim is with another person.  Since most
medical emergencies occur at home, we all need first aid training;
because it does work.