Deac in the Wake
Contributor
In all the years leading up to me getting my EFR and Rescue certification I only ever had to use first-aid/response skills twice and both were for car accidents which happened immediately near me.
In just the last 8 months, however, the skills I learned in First Response and Rescue have guided me through helping two people in need.
First, a co-worker collapsed in my office after having a coughing fit. She passed on and hit the floor. I immediately started working my way down the response checklist.
Then, this past Sat night, I was out with my family at a local restaurant when I heard a commotion at another table and heard someone yell to call 911. I jumped up and ran over to find a woman was choking and on the verge of going unconscious. I told her husband I could help and gave her the Heimlich which cleared her airway. Sat her down and watched her vitals, taking mental notes all along, until EMS arrived (in about 75 seconds).
I am constantly telling my dive buddies about the importance of rescue skills but as my 10-yr old is working her way through her OW book, prepping for her OW checkouts in September, I have really come to value the training I received and the trainers/friends I received it from. I've had to use those skills, granted not in a dive situation, twice more than I ever intended or wanted to. But if not for that training, my response time, actions, and follow-through would very likely have been compromised.
My "lesson learned" is that though you may learn a skill at the dive shop, you may need it at any time, anywhere.
In just the last 8 months, however, the skills I learned in First Response and Rescue have guided me through helping two people in need.
First, a co-worker collapsed in my office after having a coughing fit. She passed on and hit the floor. I immediately started working my way down the response checklist.
Then, this past Sat night, I was out with my family at a local restaurant when I heard a commotion at another table and heard someone yell to call 911. I jumped up and ran over to find a woman was choking and on the verge of going unconscious. I told her husband I could help and gave her the Heimlich which cleared her airway. Sat her down and watched her vitals, taking mental notes all along, until EMS arrived (in about 75 seconds).
I am constantly telling my dive buddies about the importance of rescue skills but as my 10-yr old is working her way through her OW book, prepping for her OW checkouts in September, I have really come to value the training I received and the trainers/friends I received it from. I've had to use those skills, granted not in a dive situation, twice more than I ever intended or wanted to. But if not for that training, my response time, actions, and follow-through would very likely have been compromised.
My "lesson learned" is that though you may learn a skill at the dive shop, you may need it at any time, anywhere.
