- The Organization Advocates for Mandatory First Aid Education
The Björn Steiger Emergency Aid and Rescue Services Foundation is pushing for compulsory first aid refresher courses every two years. Disease specialists are conducting a wide-scale investigation in German pedestrian zones to figure out if people still recollect important survival techniques like CPR, which they learned before. The action commences this Saturday in Essen, with additional locations in cities like Leipzig planned.
Strangers in at least ten cities across the country will be questioned, using a questionnaire and dummies, about their recollections from their initial first aid training for their driving license. The foundation aims to assess at least 600 individuals.
What should I do if I encounter an unresponsive person? How should I revive them properly? And what steps should I take if the patient starts vomiting or starts breathing again during CPR?
Headline: Many struggle to provide aid during an emergency
According to Siegfried Brockmann, the foundation's traffic safety and accident research manager, many people have had their first aid training for quite some time. Sometimes, the information provided is not actually vital in an emergency situation. "As a result, many people simply cannot provide aid during an emergency," says Brockmann.
Therefore, the objective should be a reformation of the regulations: Like regular car inspections, road users should refresh their knowledge of crucial survival techniques such as CPR, the stable side position, and pressure bandage every two years, explains Brockmann.
The significance of CPR
In particular, the importance of CPR cannot be overstated, emphasizes the Björn Steiger Foundation, citing data from the German Resuscitation Council. According to this, over 70,000 individuals in Germany experience a sudden cardiac arrest outside a hospital every year. Only around 10% of them survive. Within three to five minutes, irreversible brain damage can occur.
The Commission, being assisted by the Member States, might consider making compulsory first aid refresher courses every two years, as proposed by the Björn Steiger Emergency Aid and Rescue Services Foundation. Struggling to provide adequate aid during an emergency, as highlighted by Siegfried Brockmann, underscores the need for regular revisions of crucial survival techniques such as CPR.
