Australian Red Cross is offering free online first aid training for World First Aid Day 2021 with Covid-safe skills shared on TikTok to raise awareness among young people.
The training comes on the back of the organisation’s recent study which revealed 88 per cent of Australians believe first aid training should be compulsory in high schools across the nation with 70 per cent supporting first aid knowledge as part of the driver license application process.
Wendy Greenhalf, Head of First Aid and Mental Health Training from Australian Red Cross, said young people were often the first responders in emergency situations in the schoolyard, on the sports field, at home or out with friends.
“We want our young people to be First Aid Champions, ready to step up and help out when there’s an emergency. That’s where teaching first aid in high school could come into play. Arming young people with the knowledge and skills to step up in an emergency could help reduce pain at the time of injury or long term damage,” she said.
To raise first aid knowledge among young people and their educators and carers, the free first aid training online and via TikTok will take place on World First Aid Day, Saturday September 11, 2021.
Accredited Australian Red Cross trainers will convey essential first aid skills, including treating burns, broken bones, head injuries, strains and sprains, asthma attacks and severe allergic reactions. Participants will also learn vital skills in dealing with potentially life-threatening emergencies such as choking, heart attacks and swallowing harmful substances.
It is hoped the training will also help address the concerns 82% of Australians have about catching Covid-19 from a first aid emergency, with Millennials and Gen Zs (18-34 year olds) being the most convinced they would catch COVID-19 if they administered CPR.
Currently, first aid training is not compulsory in Australian schools or for driver licenses. However, 97% of young people believed first aid education would improve their confidence, skills and willingness to act in a crisis.
Given these figures, Australian Red Cross is running a TikTok campaign to teach young people essential first aid skills, which can be viewed and shared via @redcrossau.
“We encourage all Australians to learn new skills or renew existing ones by jumping online this World First Aid Day for one of our training sessions. You never know when your first aid skills could help a friend, teammate, workmate, or a loved one in an emergency,” Ms Greenhalf said.
Jonathon Davis was 18 years old when he was confronted with an emergency situation.
“It was pretty chaotic. There were spills, smashed glass and motors still running. I took a few seconds to take a breath and think about what I had to do. I’d done a first aid course a few weeks earlier, so I went through the DRSABCD assessment to help the motorcyclist who had been hit by a van,” Jonathon recalled.
“The van driver was in shock, so I told them to sit down and take deep breaths and asked a bystander to help while we waited for the ambulance to arrive.”
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World First Aid Day free basic first aid training sessions online
Saturday, 11 September at 11am (NSW, VIC, QLD, TAS), 10.30am (SA, NT), 9am (WA). Australians interested in participating can register at www.redcross.org.au/WFAD – places are limited.
To book first aid training
1800 RED CROSS (733 276) |learn@redcross.org.au | www.redcross.org.au/get-involved/learn
Further resources
In a COVID-present world, Australian Red Cross has also released a free eBook offering guidance for First Aid during a pandemic. The Australian Red Cross First Aid App is also available for download on Apple and Android devices.
