Dummy Aid

Meerkat has just spent a day renewing his First Aid certificate. I have to be honest, the thought of a whole day in Canvey Island was not the most attractive concept for me and with the morning beginning with drizzly rain, it didn't bear good omens. But the training session really surprised me, it was a really well taught by a very experienced paramedic who not only ran through the usual slings, wounds, rescue breaths and CPR - he added hundreds of truly interesting personal anecdotes about his life rescuing people. Most surprising, and saddening, were the stories where an accident victim tries suing the first aider for alleged assault/sexual contact/etc when his or her life was being saved. Really sad.
Of course we had fun mucking up our attempts at CPR on the dummy, I truly hope I never have to use these skills, but it is better to know and try, than live life in ignorance.

So my thanks to the modest and out of the way Thames Ambulance training centre, I got a hell of a lot more out of this session than a dozen slick and corporate 'well known' first aid centres.