Some first aid books that we spoke about on the courses

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First Aid at Work Courses – Make sure you are teaching the right course

Remember that from now on the FAW course is now a 3 day course 18 contact hours (not including lunch breaks etc) and the new 6 contact hour EFAW course has been launched.  Both these as well as the 2 day 12 contact hour FAW requalification MUST be run through an approved HSE centre.

If you need any help with this please get in touch.  You are not allowed to offer these courses unless its through a centre.

First Aid Instructor Training – New site
First Aid Instructor Training – Main site

HSE Changes as of 1st October 2009 – An update for EFR instructors

HSE Changes as of 1st October 2009 Last week EFR held their update in Bristol and before I start making notes here please make sure that you read all the latest updates from EFR and if you have any questions please contact them as things do change and it is your responsibility to keep up to date with instructor and centre status.  Any questions please contact EFR as they will have the latest information and be able to discuss your rating or centre. For some of you this is the first change in rules laid down by the HSE or EFR on what you should teach.  First aid rules were set in 1981 so it is well overdue a re-write. It was identified that employers were concerned about the time it took to do a 4 day course and the costs involved not just in the course but the time off work. It was also found that a 3 year gap was too long to ensure that first aiders stayed current. They also reviewed other things like adding AED to the course but this was not passed. EFR and it’s workplace facilities are subject to HSE audits and they check all paperwork and this is why more information is required. It is much easier using EFR rather than going direct to the HSE as they ensure that we have the right forms and paperwork to comply at all times but there are things you need to do.  The HSE are still the governing body when it comes to first aid in the workplace and they still follow the latest ILCOR ERC guidelines and will implement the changes in the next review in 2010. At this stage it is worth noting the the HSE Northern Ireland have NOT implemented these changes and you are still on the old system including needing 2 assessors. For up to 6 students you need one assessor and for 7 and over you will need 2 and at least one of these has to be an EFR assessor as they understand the system.  The FAW course is now over at least 3 days and a contact time of 18 hours but the course can be run over up to 10 weeks but each session must be at least 2 hours. All FAW courses must be still notified to EFR and there is a new form to do this on. The FAW requalification course is still  to be held over 2 days and 12 hours, you need to notify EFR and you need the same number of assessors for the full course. The new Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) course must be a minimum of 6 hours and can be conducted over a period of up to 4 weeks as long as each session is at least 2 hours long.  No assessors are needed in a EFAW but it must be run through a HSE Facility  and you must notify EFR that you are running the course. A HSE wall certificate is issued now on completion as this is an HSE requirement. The old high/medium/low bands of risk are now just high and low and the employer in their risk assessments decide how many FAW and EFAW people they need. With the annual refresher course this is NOT an approved HSE course nor are you allowed to say it is a HSE approved course.  It is strongly recommended that all EFAW and FAW first aiders complete an annual refresher but you are not allowed to say the HSE state it is complusery. It is recomended that the course is carried out over 3 hours in one day. Remember that if you add extra things into your courses like AED then this cannot be used to make up the contact hours. Contact hours are actual time teaching the prescribed subjects.  You cannot include breaks or extra subjects in this time. Remember you will need to buy your EFR manuals and certificate request forms before the course you are running either FAW or EFAW and make sure you order the right packs  - Check with EFR for prices. To teach EFAW and FAW you must be a FAW instructor (contact me if you need the upgrade) and you must operate through an EFR HSE facility.  These are HSE rules. You must have a current portfolio of evidence and you must keep it upto date and with you when you teach for yourself or another company. You must also be current with EFR. With regard to pricing it seems that the price for the 4 day is being kept for the 3 day so no need to cut prices. You can go onto the EFR site and download the latest September 09 facility standards now. To open a facility you will need to attach some documents like your portifolio of evdience for you and 2 others.  If you apply for your centre after the 1st October your centre will run to the end of December 2010, before it will expire the end of this year. HSE Facilities need to promote a profesional image and have at least one EFR FAWI on staff and they must be in the mainland UK and NI.  There must be classroom type facilities and there must be some form of waiting room for the students while the others are doing the assessment. You must also have the following in place: Health and Safety Policy Equipment cleaning protocol Access and equal opportunities statement Comply with EFR standards Customers service statement – make sure everyone knows your terms of business Agree to post apporval monitoring visits Keep data secure You should with or without these changes be registered with data protection. You can do this yourself online Now the portfolio of evidence, which as we said must be up to date and current. It must show courses taught and any other relevant information on your teaching skills. A copy of your instructor certs and provider FAW cert must be included and new instructors must include the letter that came with your instructor certificates. We are here to help you but if you have questions about EFR then it may be easier for you to contact them direct.  Remember it does take time to set up your facility so do not leave it to long if you want to start running courses. This may seem a lot of paperwork but that is the way it is in modern business and its a lot easier to keep the paperwork up to date rather than have problems with non compliance later.  EFR offer an excellent way of providing HSE courses without the fuss of direct application and if you need a facility then the cost is £300 plus VAT to set one up.  Finally remember you cannot teach these EFAW and FAW or its refresher without a facility but you CAN teach the annual refresher course without a facility. Hope that makes sense, any questions drop me an email. Why not consider seriously our new online or blended online/hands on course for the annual refresher, you may find it a better option for business and you cna earn on the course and the hands on part. Keith Sleightholm keith@itg-first-aid.com First Aid Instructor Training – New site First Aid Instructor Training – Main site

CPR For Your Pet

Did you know you can perform CPR on your pet? It’s true! There are many accounts of pet owners and even rescue personnel who have used a modified version of traditional CPR to save the life of a dog, cat, or even a bird. Bubba the Chihuahua was saved by his owners who knew what to do and acted quickly after Bubba chewed through the cord of his electric blanket.See Bubba’s story by clicking here.

Knowing how to perform “mouth to snout” resuscitation and chest compressions can literally save your pet’s life.

CPR for Cats & Dogs

CPR for cats and dogs is similar to CPR for humans. These directions assume the animal is unconscious and the risk of being bitten by the animal is not present

1. Remove any obstruction. Open the animal’s mouth, pull his tongue out, and make sure the air passage is clear. If not, remove the object obstructing the air passage.

2. Extend the head and give several artificial respirations A. For large dogs: close the animal’s jaw tightly and breathe into the nose. Give two breaths. The animal’s chest should rise. B. For small dogs and cats you may be able to cover the entire snout with your mouth as you breathe. Give two breaths. The animal’s chest should rise.

3. Perform chest compression. Lay the animal on its right side and compress the side of the rib cage. The rate of chest compressions varies with the size of the animal

• Dogs over 60 lbs: 60 compressions per minute • Animals 11 to 60 lbs: 80-100 compressions per minute • Animals 10 lbs or less: 120 compressions per minute The ratio of compressions to breaths should be approximately the same as for humans – 30:2. Continue doing this until the animal responds or begins to breathe on its own

Paper or Plastic: How Can I Bag Your Panic Attack?

Do you want paper or plastic with your panic attack? I’ve got an idea: neither! Leave the bags at the grocery store.

Panic attacks often come with hyperventilation, something I’m sure you’ve heard of, but do you know what it looks like? On TV, it’s big and dramatic, gulping down air and clutching the chest like the victim is having a heart attack.

Full information please see http://firstaid.about.com/b/2009/08/11/paper-or-plastic-how-can-i-bag-your-panic-attack.htm?nl=1

Tips for Recognizing and Treating Common Chest Injuries

Chest trauma can be penetrating or blunt. If the injury pokes through the skin (stabbing, gunshot wound, arrow through the heart, etc) we call it penetrating chest trauma. If a sharp object tearing deep into skin and muscle isn’t the main cause of tissue damage, consider it blunt chest trauma. Some blunt forces can still break the skin — getting kicked by a horse comes to mind — but tearing the skin is not considered penetrating trauma.

Car accidents and falls cause the most blunt chest trauma. Gunshot wounds cause the most penetrating trauma.

Full information please see http://firstaid.about.com/od/shortnessofbreat1/tp/09_Chest_Trauma.htm?nl=1

ITG now Distributor for Simulades Manikins and training accessories

ITG are now able to offer the whole Simulades range of manikins and training accessories direct to you.  You can download the catalogue from:

http://firstaidinstructor.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/sim_catalogue_march_2009-3.pdf

There is a full range of manikins and simulation equipment from wounds to CPR.  You can buy manikins from £75 plus VAT or £295 plus VAT for a set of 4!  Brad manikins £175 plus VAT.

Orders are usually dispached from stock, to order simply email or call with your order and we will get it sent out to you.  We accept payment by credit/debit card, BACS transfer or cheque.

Recognizing Altitude Sickness

Altitude sickness, or acute mountain sickness (AMS), occurs at high altitudes. Moderate altitudes as low as 2000 meters (6562 feet) are high enough to create signs of altitude sickness in some people, especially those with certain medical problems. Symptoms usually come on within 72 hours of arriving at altitude. Visiters coming from sea level experience the most severe symptoms.

Full information click http://firstaid.about.com/od/travelinjuries/qt/06_AMS.htm

ITG Now Zoll Main Distributor and Trainer

At ITG we are now a main distributor and trainer of ZOLL AED units and trainers.  We will be publishing more details later but Zoll AED’s stand out from the rest as they have real CPR help which guide you through CPR with voice prompts and using a sensor that is built into the pads records depth of compressions as well as guiding through the rate per minute.

Using a Zoll live AED we can analise your CPR and show on the computer how effective you are!  If you would like to have a go drop us an email. You will see a massive imporvement when using this equipment.  We even sell a Zoll Pocket CPR which you place on the chest and this unit will guide you or your students through CPR including timing and depth.

With ZOLL AEDs, Real CPR Help is constantly looking at your delivery of chest compressions and will assist all rescuers with the following feedback and prompting for help in providing effective manual CPR.

Audio/Message Prompting
Voice and message prompting helps the rescuer achieve optimal CPR compressions. Feedbacks such as “PUSH HARDER” helps accomplish quality compressions quickly, resulting in a reinforcing message, “GOOD COMPRESSIONS”. To minimise CPR idle time, “CONTINUE CPR” is another important reminder.

Compression Depth Indicator
Consistently achieve the depth of cardiac compression according to the ERC / UKRC/ AHA recommended depth of 1.5 to 2 inches.

Compression Rate Indicator
Easily achieve the compression rate of 100 cpm through a dynamic adaptive metronome beep that is easy to follow.

Lapse Time Indicator
Raises awareness of CPR interruptions by displaying the elapsed time from when the last compression was delivered.

Data Transmission
ZOLL’s AEDs have the capability to transmit CPR data, offering the ability for complete resuscitation review and playback.

Real CPR Help is accomplished with our quick and easy to apply CPR-D Padz™. There is no compromise to readiness with cumbersome extra electrodes to manage and position on the patient.

For ZOLL, it’s about offering technology for real help when responders need it most. Whether it’s helping you with manual CPR, or using data to help improve performance, at ZOLL, we believe that our technology will help rescuers to be more efficient and effective when it counts most.

No Shock Advised – CPR is Crucial

“Victims of cardiac arrest need immediate CPR. CPR provides a small but critical amount of blood flow to the heart and brain.”

“CPR prolongs the time VF is present and increases the likelihood that a shock will terminate VF (defibrillate the heart) and allow the heart to resume an effective rhythm and effective systemic perfusion.”

AHA 2005 Guidelines, pg. IV-14.

Shock Advised – CPR is Crucial

“In the first few minutes after successful defibrillation, asystole … may be present and the heart may pump ineffectively. In one recent study of SCA, only 25% to 40% of victims demonstrated an organized rhythm 60 seconds after shock delivery; it is likely that even fewer had effective perfusion at that point. Therefore, CPR may be needed for several minutes following defibrillation until adequate perfusion is present.”

AHA 2005 Guidelines, pg IV-14.

The Importance of CPR (Especially after Four Minutes of Cardiac Arrest)

CPR can be MORE important than delivering a shock!

“CPR is especially important if a shock is not delivered for four or more minutes after collapse. Defibrillation does not “restart” the heart; defibrillation “stuns” the heart, briefly stopping VF and other cardiac electrical activity. If the heart is still viable, its normal pacemakers may then resume firing and produce an effective ECG rhythm that may ultimately produce adequate blood flow.” AHA 2005 Guidelines, pg. IV

Once in VF, the heart continues filling up with blood

The heart blows up like a balloon over the next four minutes

The heart becomes like a “flooded” car engine that can’t start because it currently has too much gas in the carburetor

CPR empties the heart of blood, returns it to normal size, and lets the shock get the heart muscle moving

AHA now advises that EMS providers arriving more than four minutes after collapse “give a period of CPR before checking the rhythm and attempting defibrillation.” (AHA 2005 Guidelines, pg IV-26.)

For more infomation and leaflets see http://www.itg-first-aid.com/zoll-aed.htm