Who hasn't found themselves helpless when faced with emergency situations without knowing exactly what gestures or care to take to help an injured person? You don't have to be a doctor to be able to save a life. Sometimes, to intervene at the right time, a few simple gestures are enough to make all the difference. First aid certification can help save a life.
Why take training to obtain a first aid certificate?
The First Aid Certificate is a diploma of skills obtained after completing certain exercises and approved training under the supervision of a certified and qualified trainer. This training is called prevention and civic first aid level 1 or PSC1. It allows the participant to become a rescuer so that he or she can intervene and do the right things to keep a victim alive until a rescue team arrives. By following a PSC1 training, students learn the life-saving gestures. It is possible to follow about fifteen other training courses, such as the PSE1, which is specially designed for lifeguards, and the PSE2, which is reserved for those seeking to become first-aiders.
How does the training take place and what do you learn in practice?
First aid certificate training can last an average of seven hours. Most of the time, it presents a series of situations that the students could face in their daily life. Then, the teaching focuses on three elements: examining a victim to determine the causes of the malaise; the actions to be taken to rescue him or her; and the help to be alerted and how to calmly and clearly explain the situation presented to them in order to save them time. In general, the situations given are trauma, bleeding, choking and fainting. A participant is invited to reproduce the trainer's demonstration in pairs or on a dummy. The participant must also learn how to use a defibrillator.
Who can obtain a first aid certificate?
First aid certification training is open to everyone. From the age of ten, a student can choose a shorter training course that is adapted to children's sensitivity. Likewise, senior citizens have the opportunity to follow an apprenticeship that includes life-saving gestures according to their sometimes limited mobility, but which seem to be just as effective. It is also possible to choose a two-hour first aid initiative where a single gesture is targeted such as cardiac arrest, burning, bleeding or haemorrhaging. In general, if the participant presents himself spontaneously to a training institution, the training can cost ten euros. It is free if it is financed by a town hall or a General Council.