First Aid Training: Responding To A Car Crash As A First Aider

• 1 November 2023

First aid training is a convenient and useful skill to have. From anything as small as a scrap to as big as an accident, first aid skills can be beneficial. EMCARE offers specialised training in Health and Safety, and three levels of first aid courses that can equip you in your professional and personal life. The skills you learn in these courses can be utilised in a myriad of ways, but in this article, we will particularly look at how first aid can be crucial in responding to a car crash.

There are more than 800,000 road accidents per year in South Africa, which means there are roughly 2200 car crashes that happen daily. South Africa is subsequently home to some of the most dangerous drivers with the highest rates of fatality on a global scale. The severity and frequency of these accidents happen, demonstrate the value of training yourself in first aid.

South Africa has one of the worst road accident death rates in the world, consequently equipping yourself with first aid knowledge can prove crucial in one of the country's most common causes of death. If you want to acquire the skill set of first aid or refresh your knowledge, read more below to learn about EMCARE’s courses and how first raiders might respond to road incidents.

First Aid Training At EMCARE

EMCARE equips you with skills to handle any emergency situation from your workplace, home, or public space. First Aid training is an imperative and useful skill to ensure you can keep both yourself, loved ones and those in possible accidents safe in life-threatening situations. At EMCARE there are three levelled courses and one refresher course of first aid training, each with an accredited certificate that lasts three years. Each course is taught by a professional with years worth of experience in the field and training. All our courses include learner manuals, training equipment, A4 certification and presentation equipment. Here is what you will learn from our experts:

Basic First Aid/ First Aid Refresher Course (FAR)

• Burns
• Fractures
• Wounds and bleeding
• Choking
• Shock, fainting and unconsciousness
• Artificial respiration
• Principles of Emergency Care and Safety
• Emergency scene management
• One rescuer Adult CPR
• Head and spinal injuries
• Emergency care equipment
• Legal implications and ethics surrounding emergency care

First Aid Level 1 Course (FA1)

• Principles of emergency care and safety
• Artificial respiration
• Fractures
• Burns
• Shock, unconsciousness and fainting
• Head and spinal injuries
• One rescuer adult CPR
• Emergency care equipment
• Choking
• Wounds and bleeding
• Legal implications and ethics related to emergency care

First Aid Level 2 Course (FA2)

• Revision of level 1 content
• Child and infant CPR
• One and two-rescuer CPR
• Chest and eye injuries
• Joint injuries
• Abdominal pelvic injuries
• Multiple injury management
• Poison, bites and stings
• Environmental illnesses and injuries
• Chest pain, diabetes, epilepsy and convulsions
• Elementary and applied anatomy and physiology
• Drowning and diving accidents
• Rescue carries
• Emergency equipment

First Aid Level 3 Course (FA3)

• Revision of level 1 and 2 first aid content
• Water-related emergencies
• Behavioural emergencies
• Emergency childbirth
• Special patients and emergency oxygen therapy
• Practical demonstrations and practical exercises
• Written tests and practical exams

Road Incidents In South Africa

South Africa has the highest number of fatal accidents on a global scale. Between 2000 and 2018 there was an increase of deaths by 18% in South Africa, with 22 deaths per 100,000 people. As of 2023, 44 per 100,000 fatalities occur annually. According to the Road Traffic Management Corp (RTMC), 40% of deaths are pedestrians, almost twice the international rate of 23% pedestrian casualties. For drivers and passengers, the rating is based on a perceived bad culture of driving.

Speeding, texting while driving, driving with too many passengers, not using seatbelts and alcohol-related deaths. The mortality rate is incredibly high and has been deemed South Africa to be a leading cause of the road death pandemic. Due to the high statistical probability that you will either be or come across a road accident in South Africa, learning first aid is inherently incredibly valuable. First raiders respond to car crashes with knowledge and skills that can save lives and aid while waiting for medical personnel to arrive on the scene. The following is some of the knowledge first aiders get equipped with, and assist during an emergency.

Life-Saving Steps First Aiders Learn

The first step of protocol as a first aider is to identify potential dangers. This includes putting hazard signs or triangles in the case of a car accident to warn others. block traffic and further collision. The next step is to call an emergency professional. As a first aider, there might only be so much you can do, making sure there are personnel dispatched to aid for more serious injuries is crucial to survival.

The next step is to use your first aid knowledge dependent on the responsiveness of the patients. Assess the casualties and treat those with life-threatening injuries first. The skills you learn on wounds and bleeding, CPR, joint injuries, abdominal pelvic injuries and shock, unconsciousness and fainting in first aid training provide you with the knowledge to treat these potential wounds and know who is most in danger.

Important things to remember:

• The safety of yourself is equally as important as the patients
• Do not move an unconscious person from a vehicle as there may be damage to their bones or spine.
• Always keep the helmets on any cyclist or motorcyclist injuries.
• Always keep your first aid kit stocked

First aid training is a prudent skill to possess that can help in many emergencies. EMCARE’s various first aid courses offer a versatile set of skills that can equip you to help both yourself and those around you. You will be able to learn knowledge that can save lives in multiple scenarios. For instance, an emergency such as a car crash, can be responded to with first aid training.

This training in a country with the highest mortality rate in road incidents is imperative. If you would like to enrol for our courses to cover either the basics or advanced emergencies do not hesitate to contact us.