ST JOHN REMINDS CANBERRANS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF FIRST AID IN SPORTS AND COMMUNITY THIS WORLD FIRST AID DAY
- Saturday 14 September is World First Aid Day and St John Ambulance ACT is reminding Canberrans to know First Aid and stock adequate supplies when out in community.
- Sports, recreation and community locations around Canberra must have adequate access to First Aid equipment such as First Aid Kits and AEDs – vital for treating accident and injury and saving lives in a health emergency.
- A recent St John Ambulance survey found only 1 in 10 Australians are ‘very confident’ to provide first aid in a health or medical emergency.
- 33 per cent of Australians Adults surveyed had witnessed a health or medical emergency in the last 12 months alone.
This Saturday (14 September 2024) is World First Aid Day, and an opportune time for St John Ambulance ACT to remind the community of the vital importance of First Aid knowledge, skills and equipment.
This week, St John Ambulance ACT is embracing a theme of First Aid in sports and communities. This comes off the back of recent campaigns to equip ACT based sports clubs and Canberra businesses with potentially life-saving Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs). Sports and recreation activities are an important part of community life and maintaining physical and mental health, but they can also result in accident, injury or health emergencies.
A recent St John Ambulance survey found that only 1 in 10 Australians rate themselves as ‘very confident’ to provide First Aid during a health of medical emergency, yet 33 per cent of adults had witnessed a health or medical emergency in the past 12 months alone.1.
In the past year, St John Ambulance ACT equipped ten local sporting codes across Canberra, with free St John AEDs, in recognition of the importance of having life-saving First Aid equipment at hand during sports, recreation and community activities. This is of particular importance given the prevalence of out of hospital sudden cardiac arrest, from which only 10% of Australians survive without intervention2.
“Bystander First Aid is absolutely vital in the minutes following a sudden cardiac arrest. CPR within the first six minutes, coupled with use of a defibrillator, can increase survival rates to as high as seventy per cent,” explains St John Ambulance ACT’s new CEO, Martin Fisk.
“If you’re out playing sport on a weekend and participating in other recreations, you should have the piece of mind in knowing there is an AED nearby, and that someone is going to know how to use it. Luckily, these skills are easily learned through First Aid training, and we encourage everyone to learn and grow their confidence.”
This World First Aid Day St John followed up with ACT based sporting clubs and associations, to ask them more about the importance of First Aid on the field and court.
Rob Sheekey, CEO of Hockey ACT (one of the clubs supported with a new AED through St John Ambulance ACT), highlighted the importance of first aid in community sports.
“First Aid and defibrillators are an important role in all sports, including hockey. Having access to not only First Aid but Defibrillators helps to ensure that our members and community have the highest chance of survival should a sudden cardiac arrear occur.”
“Ninety per cent of sudden cardiac arrest results in fatality so being able to have access to first aid training and AEDs are vital to improve that statistic. We are lucky and grateful to be able to provide this to our community and would like to thank St John’s Ambulance Australia for their generous donation to our association,” said Mr Sheekey.
General Manager, Raiders Canberra Region and Community Rugby League, Mark Vergano OAM, was quick to highlight the importance of positive partnerships.
“The support from St John ACT in supplying the AEDs highlights the commitment to peoples’ safety and wellbeing…. A device as portable and easy to use as the AED can save lives, and the feeling of security that in the event of an episode or an emergency, a life can be saved through our clubs having the equipment they need... We are grateful for our partnership with St John and the IMB Foundation in making rugby league ovals a much safer place.”
Cricket ACT reiterated the critical nature of First Aid training and AEDs, “Cricket ACT is committed to the safety of our community, and access to first aid training and AEDs are a critical element. Having these resources available ensures the safety and wellbeing of our players and community, providing essential support in the event of a sudden cardiac arrest,” said Olivia Thornton, CEO Cricket ACT.
“We are fortunate and thankful to be able to offer these life-saving tools to our cricket community, and we extend our gratitude to St John Ambulance Australia for their generous donation.”
Demonstrating the real cross-code application and necessity of First Aid in all sports, at all levels, Ryan Flynn, General Manager of Baseball Canberra said, “It’s absolutely critical for Baseball Canberra to have access to First Aid equipment and people trained in First Aid as well, as our main priority is keeping people safe and enjoying our sport all year long.”
St John Ambulance ACT wants to acknowledge the importance of being First Aid ready, without creating alarm, by highlighting how practical First Aid skills can be. This can include simple actions like treating a sprain or minor wound, to life sustaining actions such as CPR and using an AED. Any intervention is usually better than no intervention, and the skills and confidence can be readily gained by taking a short First Aid training course.
“We know that statistically, not enough people are trained in first aid and that presents a real risk when we are engaging in activities that could result in accident or injury, whether we are in our homes, workplaces, at a sporting event, or out in community,” said Mr Fisk.
“We should all be looking for ways to improve our first aid readiness, so that we can continue to have fun and participate actively in community life in a safer and more supported way.”
To brush up on knowledge and skills, or access first aid products, visit https://stjohnact.org.au/
