First Aid Knowledge?

Firstly - best off if everyone did a FA Course - they are not that daunting and the immediate application of skills can make huge difference in survival rates.

With regards to the legal side of administering first aid - generically it is called "The Samaritan Law". In other words you can not be sued if you provide first aid. To date No-one has ever been sued in Australia. However, in WA you can be charged by police if involved in an accident and fail to render assistance.

If some one (a casualty) tells you not to provide them with first aid (withdraws consent) you are obliged to comply but you should stiIl render assistance (call 000, try to keep the calm, keep offering assistance, offer use of FA kit if appropriate). If some one is unable to ask for help because the are unconscious, you have what is known as implied consent and can administer first aid - if they regain conciseness and withdraw consent you must stop - but can continue if the loose consciousness again!

Skills taught in First Aid courses are at a level unlikely to cause injury - but will prevent deterioration of a casualties condition.

This comes from over 40 years as a qualified first aided 28 years as a Vollie Ambulance Office and Fire Fighter and 28 years as a First Aid Instructor.

Cheers

Anthony

Axle
Who's wife are you referring to?

If I came across a bad crash in the bush I'd just do what I could, I don't think I'd ever consider where I lay legally and I would also put my safety above that of others involved in the accident. If they're all crook and I'm good, no good me doing things or putting myself in a situation that may render me worse off.

I've not done a first aid course, I'd like to. You can get some pretty good apps with good plain information in them. Also Youtube has lost of useful clips.

I can't rebuild my engine & I can't mend a punctured lung either, we all have our limitations and need to try to act reasonably practically & usefully within them.

We should all keep up to date with our first aid. You can now do short courses covering the greatest life saving skills. You can do a course over the internet.

I,ve been doing various first aid courses for 30+ years. Had to use it at 2 car crashes. Have had mates who have used it on heart attack victims. People always think that it would be handy if you come across a car crash. The most common aspect and most likely hood of you using it is encountering a heart attack or stroke victim. Anywhere from in the family home to a shopping centre. Sure you,ll maybe treat a few cuts or a sprained wrist but these are not generally life threatening. I encourage everyone to do a first aid course and hope you never have to administer!

There is no 'legal situation'.
Federal legislation supports the 'have a go' idea. If the patient dies than its considered unfortunate but you will never be prosecuted for having a go.

Maybe you should do a FA course and find all this out before you need it?

A very very lot of 'first aid' is common sense [ will what I do make it worse ] , if not any and every thing can only be 'good' ..some things like CPR have changed over the years [ compression - breaths amounts ] , snake bite treatment , spinal ,BUT just a little bit of 'common sense' and a 'refresher' course every couple of years goes a long way .....

In australia nobody has ever been held legally liable for assisting as a "first responder" that usually means joe public comes across the traffic accident. - and they are protected under australian law !

I have been trained in first aid for many years pretty much since I was a teenager (also 10 years retd SES vollie) I recall one call out we rescued a bloek from his roof turns out he had multiple fractures of the ankle which required surgery to pin n screw it together.

Under duty of care (he didn't have ambo/private health cover) we decided to transport the patient who was in the stokes litter off to the local hospital.

That was when the situation unravelled abit, turns out that SJA got it feathers flustered so a please explain was sent to SES HQ asking who why ete etc. - out response duty of care we did what we had to do - buried the matter fairly quickly.