This is a guest post written by James Williams (james.williams[-at-]sja.org.uk). If you would like to submit a guest post then please get in touch using the contact form

A question I have been asked countless times in my St John Ambulance career is why should I lean first aid? In this blog I will discuss the points for and against the leaning of first aid and the different ways that you can learn first aid very easily.

Points for

The main reason to lean first aid is that First aid saves lives. When you have the basic knowledge of first aid, it only takes a few seconds to administer lifesaving treatment. Another reason is technology. The traditional way to learn first aid is to go to a first aid class. As technology has developed, so has the ways that first aid is learnt. You can find first aid advice on web sites, video sites like YouTube, and you can ever learn first aid using your smartphone via apps. Another reason is that the people around you will have the best chance of surviving if first aid is carried out sooner.

Points against

One of main problems of people not leaning first aid is the worry of being sued if they give first aid to a casualty. Under current UK law, if you come across a situation where life-saving First Aid might be required, you are under no obligation to assist, provided the situation was not caused by you. However, if that person does choose voluntarily to intervene to render assistance they will assume a duty of care towards the individual concerned. By starting treatment you are accepting a responsibility to the care of that person. The most important thing to remember is that to date, no one in the UK has ever been sued for administering life-saving First Aid.

Conclusion

In summary, the reasons for learning first aid far outweigh the reasons for not learning first aid as the person that you help by giving first aid to, will be grateful to you for saving their life. I should know, because someone with first aid knowledge saved my life.