A team of senior military and civilian medics has said that people in the UK need to learn lifesaving skills in case they are caught up in a terrorist attack .
When a major crisis such as a terrorist attack takes place there can be a delay before it is deemed safe for paramedics to arrive on the scene and lives can be saved if people have some basic first aid skills.
Brig Tim Hodgetts and Prof Sir Keith Porter, are co-developers of CitizenAID, an app, pocket book and website with advice on how best to deal with injuries in the immediate aftermath of a mass shooting or bombing incident.
Brig Tim Hodgetts, of the Defence Medical Services told the BBC “We need a critical mass of the general public to learn these first aid skills”. The next attack can happen at any moment, there is a pressing need for the public to learn these skills and minimise the number of potential casualties.
The idea is supported by counter-terrorism police. Security services say a UK terror attack is highly likely.
What you can do in the event of an attack
Although an individual’s chance of being caught up in an incident is small, Brig Tim Hodgetts and Prof Sir Keith Porter, co-developers of CitizenAID, which is free to download, say it is a good idea for people to have a plan and the knowledge and skills to help each other.
The system includes instructions on how to treat severe bleeding – one of the major causes of death in these scenarios.
It guides people through packing, putting pressure on and elevating a wound, and how to use a tourniquet safely, for example.
The programme also explains how to prioritise those who need treatment first and what to tell the emergency services once they arrive.
Brig Tim Hodgetts, medical director of the Defence Medical Services, told the BBC; “We don’t know when the next incident will be that will involve blasts or gunshots so we need a critical mass of the general public to learn these first aid skills.
“They are the people who are always going to be at the scene. They are the ones who are going to make a difference.”
Sign up for a First Aid course
A key to delivering effective first aid in any situation is confidence and practice and this comes from actually attending first aid training and practising your skills before you need to use them.
Safe and Sound are a specialist first aid training company led by paramedic instructors who make training realistic, practical and fun.
Our 1 and 3 Day Emergency First Aid at Work courses include the use of tourniquets and haemostatic dressings which are needed to manage injuries sustained in a terrorist attack and our expert instructors will go through a whole range of possible scenarios and how to deal with them.
Click here for course dates and details: http://www.safeandsound.uk.net/course-type/first-aid/first-aid-at-work/
