First Aid 22

Ed Lochhead knows the importance of CPR because it saved his wife’s life.
 
In August, the couple was driving from Calgary to Vancouver for a much-anticipated vacation. On a remote stretch of highway in British Columbia, Ed noticed his wife, Janice, was suddenly quiet. He turned to find her unconscious and in cardiac arrest.

Ed frantically chased down a passing truck. The driver immediately called 911 and performed lifesaving CPR.

 

Last August, James Boshart saved a life. It happened unexpectedly while he was out at a garage sale in Clinton, Ontario with his brother. One minute he was focused on finding a diamond in the rough, the next he was performing CPR.

Many parents feel uncomfortable leaving their child in the care of a young babysitter. If you are a parent who checks in several times a night to make sure everything is okay at home, you will feel more at ease during your evenings out by hiring a trained babysitter.

What better way to celebrate World First Aid Day than with some fun tracks with a first aid twist? We’ve come up with our top 10 songs inspired by first aid. From rock to hip hop, artists have been singing about a surprising number of first aid scenarios, from bleeding to broken bones. Check out this eclectic playlist and some useful tips and the life saving actions to take when faced with common first aid emergencies. 

At any given time, skills learned through first aid training could help someone in need or even save a life! Take for example the recent news story of two Toronto men who spent their flight to Beijing keeping a man alive who was suffering from a cruising-height heart attack; or the story about an EMT volunteer who saved a newborn baby’s life, after being notified of the nearby emergency through his smartphone app.

April 13, 2014, will forever mark a memorable practice for the Abreast with FORTitude dragon boat team. The team, made up of breast cancer survivors, were midway through a practice when their coach and steersperson heard a man cry for help from the fast-flowing waters of the Fraser River in British Columbia. They quickly jumped to action and paddled fiercely upstream for over 500 metres to reach the man in time. When they were close enough, they threw their extra PFD and a life bag to him and towed him to the safety of a nearby dock. 

Five weeks ago I learned a very painful lesson to slow down and focus on the task at hand (no pun intended) when using power tools.

The summer’s sun is what gets me through Canadian winters. When my friend decided to get married in Cuba in July, I embraced the imminent heat with a welcoming ‘bring it on’.  Most days I don’t use my little air conditioner, but when it broke recently and temperatures reached into the 30s, I had to get practical about keeping my cool.