For those who think they could never have the courage or know-how to help in the few first crucial minutes of an emergency, Lifeflight’s trauma training could be the answer.
First Minutes Matter trauma training is a free community safety education program offered online and in-person by LifeFlight Australia’s most senior Critical Care Doctors and Flight Paramedics.
After its first year of delivery and about 30 in-person workshops hosted across Queensland, the program is being hailed a huge success and is set to return to the Sunshine Coast.
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Thousands of every-day Queenslanders are now better equipped to help during the initial, crucial minutes following a traumatic incident.
Participants leave armed with critical and potentially life-saving skills shared by the medical professionals who work on the iconic blue and yellow RACQ LifeFlight Rescue helicopters.
One year on, LifeFlight is returning to the Sunshine Coast for another series of in-person workshops, to educate more community members.
LifeFlight Paramedic and First Minutes Matter Trainer Craig Blick said the team had chosen to go back to the Sunshine Coast because they’d had “such a strong demand from these communities.”
“It’s especially important just before Christmas because we want to educate people leading into the holiday season, because we truly think we can make a difference with the First Minutes Matter trauma training,” Mr Blick said.
“We recognise that we need to get back to these communities and keep educating people so we can continue to save lives.”
Past workshop participant Ralph Clark is encouraging those in the region to sign up.
“I got so much out of it, confidence in particular, that if I do come across some kind of emergency now, I feel confident that I do have the skills that could make a difference and even save somebody’s life,” Mr Clark said.
“I think it’s critical, especially for people in regional areas, to learn these skills because, I’ll put it bluntly, it can mean the difference between life and death.
“If the opportunity is there for anybody to partake in a course like this, I say grab it with both hands, sign up the moment you hear about it. It is so well worthwhile and you get so much out of it.”
Mr Blick said Lifeflight had over 3050 people exposed to the First Minutes Matter trauma training workshops and online learning modules, which we are really happy to see.”
The idea to create First Minutes Matter trauma training for the public came from LifeFlight’s aeromedical crew members, who know patient outcomes are dramatically improved by actions taken in the first minutes after an incident, before emergency crews arrive.
“As a paramedic, I understand the CBD and larger communities are well catered for in terms of paramedical response, but it is the direct opposite when we go to the remote communities,” said Mr Blick.
“It’s really important for us to be heading out to these regional communities and educate them on what to do while they’re waiting for an ambulance, police, fire and rescue or even the RACQ LifeFlight Rescue helicopter.
“These teachings make a huge difference. The topics that we choose to teach are aimed at those real-life threats that can happen and we can teach people the basic skills, so that we can help save lives and we know that’s happening.”
The latest in-person First Minutes Matter workshops are being held in Noosa on December 5 and 6. For registrations, visit: First Minutes Matter.
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