The Critical Need for First Aid Education Among Parents

Life occasionally surprises us with emergencies, and especially when there are small children at home. A range of dangers such as burns, poisoning, choking, falls from heights, etc. are always hovering at home and outside the home, particularly for babies and toddlers.

If one of these dreadful situations occurs, the first thing to do is call 101 for help, but until the first responders arrive, other actions may help the child and even save their life.

To avoid feeling helpless and out of control during these stressful and important moments, it is important to be prepared and attend, at least once in one’s life, a first aid course. Always remember that knowledge is power, and it can save lives. In certain cases, the time that passes between the call for first responders and the arrival of the team for treatment is critical. Anyone who has taken a first aid course can help to immediately administer first aid until the medical team arrives.

Purpose of the course

A first aid course provides basic information and tools to provide treatment during the initial moments in an emergency – the critical minutes that make a difference between life and death.

The course will provide information on various emergencies (such as heart attack, CPR, choking on a foreign object, anaphylactic shock, stroke, etc.), the means to identify them and initial treatment required that may save a life until the arrival of the professional first responders.

Target audience

The various courses are intended for any person who wishes to acquire important knowledge but are also for people whose job description requires the training, such as education and teaching staff, travel guides, fitness instructors, childcare practitioners, etc.

As parents of children, it is very important that you know, at minimum, the basic rules for resuscitating infants and children and how one must act if they are in distress or if their life is in danger. The first aid and CPR course or workshop should be taken as part of the preparation for childbirth or around the time of the birth – so much of the knowledge acquired will be fresh in mind.

Any grandparent who plans to care for the grandchild should also attend the first aid course, which will provide them with relevant tools for an emergency.

The material learned in the course

Some of the courses currently being offered to the public are in-person only and some are hybrid with online study of academic material with practical in-person exercises.

The course consent also depends on the scope, but most first aid courses (including the most basic ones) offer information on diagnosing various emergency situations, basic CPR in adults, children and infants, operation of defibrillator, CPR with demonstration on a dummy, dressing wounds with bandages in first aid kits, etc.

Additionally, at least in some of the courses, you can receive information about treatment in the following cases:

• Choking on a foreign object.
• Medical emergencies, such as stroke, epilepsy, etc.
• Respiratory emergencies, such as asthma attack, apnea, etc.
• Cardiac emergencies such as heart attack, cardiac arrest, etc.
• Treatment of wounds, burns, stopping hemorrhages and fixating broken bones.
• Drowning.
• Poisoning.
• Injury caused by animals.

Types of courses

A person who has undergone a basic 44-hour first aid course is defined in Israel as a first aid provider (FAP). At the same time, to be able to provide basic first aid, one can also take shorter courses that provide important knowledge and relevant tools.

There are currently a range of first aid courses and training, including:

The courses are taught by various organizations, such as MDA and United Hatzalah. From time to time, first aid courses are offered at the Family Health Centers – for more information, speak with the Family Health Center nurses.

Every parent should assume personal responsibility and spend several hours of their own time to participate in a brief course that provides practical tools and information for emergencies.