Erste Hilfer

Today we did our Erste Hilfer (first aid) course, which everyone has to do for their licence here (great idea but unfortunately no requirement to redo it - still better than never doing one though). The course though is only available in German, but we were assured that there was no test at the end, as long as you stay there all day (8am-3pm) you get the certificate. We were dubious but it turned out to be true. We now both have the necessary German first aid certificate for our licences.

Those of you who know me well (or have ever travelled or hiked etc with me) will know I have a bit of a thing about first aid, and I have done a few courses before, so this was actually interesting to see the differences. I will quickly note these for those very few of you who will care. While they may sound like criticisms I am open to the idea that perhaps they could be better methods, but I haven't yet seen why.

In Aus we are taught to check for DR ABC - Danger, Response, Airways, Breathing and Circulation.
This course differed:
1. Check for response by firmly shaking the shoulders - I think we did that in one of the first courses I ever did but that is now not recommended for spinal damage reasons - and in case they are actually conscious they might get mad. (We didn't check for Danger though, so we only have the R for Response so far.)
2. Check for breathing while they are lying on their back by opening the mouth, tilting the head back, and listening. I am sure I have always been taught to check breathing and that airways are clear when they are on their side in the recovery position. Doing it while they're on their side is helpful because anything in the mouth runs out rather than down the throat, and since if unconscious they need to be in that position either way. (So we covered the Breathing part of DR ABC, but not really the Airways part.)
3. Once breathing checked call for help, before putting them in the recover position. In the 10 minutes it takes you to make work out where you are, make the phone call and try to explain in bad German what has happened they have drowned in their own saliva. Also in every course I have done we have been told that you should help before leaving to call for an ambulance. I can see both sides of the when to call debate, but I guess you just have hope that you never find someone in need of help when you are alone, or that you always have a mobile and signal.
4. Getting someone into the recover position. Done very strangely, by putting the closest arm under their bum, a few other things, and pulling towards you - this largely resulted in pressing their face into the ground and a twisted back... hmmmmm. Obviously not the intention but what was happening.
5. CPR/EAR. As far as either Brett or I could understand we were never told to check the pulse (even after 12 minutes of CPR that we practised) and we weren't taught just EAR (breathing without heart compressions) so at some stage after calling for help you start CPR without checking for a pulse or clearing any airways. (So we also skipped Circulation). I am not sure if they are skipped in every course/never done, or if it was just this quick course.

We did however cover how to remove a motorbike helmet - which has disappointedly been skipped in almost every Aus course I have done.

And we also covered how to wrap some one who is lying down in a space blanket. A few times. I guess it’s a lot more important here with the snow and all, so it was nice to know, but I would have traded its repetitions for EAR or checking pulses.

Oh well.
B