First aiding

A while ago there was a car crash two cars ahead of me on a major road. It was loud and more than a little scary, I got out of the way and continued on my merry way but regretted that I couldn't stop and help.

Last week a seriously injured man was lying on the pavement being tended by paramedics and it was obvious that a cyclist had stopped to help. Again I felt a bit useless.

I did a bit of first aid many years ago as a teen but nothing since. But all that is about to change. Work are making me a first aider. I have to do four full days of training, and it started today. It's quite intense and we get a full assessment to get the certificate declaring our competence.

It's all a bit scary and blowing into the doll for the first time is weirdly realistic. You start to get sweaty and a bit panicked, it's easy to lose count of the compressions. Even after day one though I feel a bit more confident. As a cyclist when I've witnessed accidents it would have been so easy for me to pull over and help. Now I can.