My 6 First Aid & CPR Learnings

At the recent CPR / First Aid event, we certainly talked about how to respond to emergency health situations.  Our presenter, Martin Johnston, also reminded us about the importance of prevention.  As a veteran paramedic, he sees many of the same types of calls day in and day out – many of which are preventable.

I wanted to share 6 that I took away and have acted on.

1. Turn down your water heater:  You don’t need to have boiling water coming out of your taps to have a comfortable shower, clean your clothes or wash your dishes.  Hot water can cause severe burns and this risk applies to infants, children and adults alike.  Martin told us a story of a 65 year old man who slipped in the shower and broke his hip.  On his way down, he smacked the knob to full hot.  As a result, he severely burned himself because he could not exit the tub.  Take 2 minutes and eliminate this risk by reducing the temperature on your water heater.
2. Lithium Batteries & Dishwasher Tablets:  Small children see lithium batteries and dishwasher pucks as candy-like objects.  If you have small children in your home have these items securely stored.  It is common among paramedics to take children to the hospital for a seemingly benign stomach issue and see it end in stomach surgery.

1. Unsecured Carpets:  People slip and fall on unsecured carpets.  Go to Home Depot or a carpet store and buy the foam mesh that grips the carpet to the ground.  Until then, avoid an injury and remove the carpet.  The new dirt and marks that’ll be tracked in will quickly remind you to get the foam mesh.
2. 72 Hour Emergency Kit:  Yes – we need water, food and a first aid kit.  What I did not consider was adding cash and Benadryl.
3. Chewable Baby Aspirin:  Most of us know that Aspirin can help improve your situation if you are having a heart attack.   Many have Aspirin at their house – just in case.     Do you bring it with you?  Do the places you frequent most have it accessible?  My parents, who attended the session, told me they have a bottle at home.  I realized that I had none at my house.  Now I do.

1. Secure All TVs & Furniture to Walls:  This piece of advice is critical for those with smaller children in their life.  Large and tall furniture typically comes with two screws and some metal wire to attach the piece to the wall.  Do we always attach it to the wall?  Even TVs resting on stands should be secured to the wall.  I was ambivalent towards this before and now everything is secured to the wall.