Guest post by Sandra Brunner, a member of the Canadian Red Cross Social Team and a Red Cross digital volunteer
I recently had to update my CPR/AED skills to include infants, as I was teaching mom and baby Pilates classes. I thought it would also be a good time to get my Standard First Aid, something I had been thinking about. I got in touch with my friends at the Red Cross and signed up through them for a two day CPR/AED and Standard First Aid course.
There's always a small amount of fear when I sign up for courses like this. The reality is that you're learning skills that could potentially save someone's life. That's a lot of responsibility and not to be taken lightly.
Our instructor for the two days, Brian, was really great. He kept us going through the material at an understandable pace and kept us interested. The class was a mix of theory and practical – we practiced CPR, as well as role-playing emergency scenarios and some bandaging techniques. The idea is to practice as much as you can, so if the time ever comes, the skills are second nature and you'll act quickly, without needing to think.
As Brian said goodbye to us at the end of the class, he said "these are good skills to have, but I hope you never have to use them". And he's right. I hope I never have to use them. At the same time, learning CPR/AED and first aid is very empowering. I feel good knowing that in an emergency situation, I can provide help. I'm grateful to the Red Cross for the first aid training.
Next up – I want to learn pet CPR!
