The knowing and acting on a situation can be the key element in saving or losing a life. This may sound remorseless and a little heartless, but facts are facts and having the knowledge of what to do if a case is to emerge is all that matters.
From my personal experience I have lost a close friend to cardiac arrest in a back of taxi and remember talking to the taxi driver at the time saying ‘he didn’t know what to do and tried to help but just felt helpless’. But why is this I ask, I’m not saying that we all need to be medical professionals but if our day-to-day jobs is to help the community, our fellow colleagues or even our loved ones then being able and being in a place to do and help save that life or try should be paramount to our understanding.
So, I ask the question if a situation was to arise today and you have a passenger suddenly having a heart attack, what do you do? how to you act? where do you go?
Important questions but unfortunately majority of people who work and operate within the private hire and wider transport industry fall into the category of not knowing.
Statistically in the UK there are an estimated 100,000 defibrillators in the UK, but only 30% of defibrillators are known to ambulance services and even less to people in the private hire and transport industry, which means that tens of thousands of defibrillators aren’t used in an emergency because emergency services don’t know where they are (Source of information: https://www.sja.org.uk/get-advice/i-need-to-know/defibrillator-guide-for-first-time-buyers/).
Early defibrillation before emergency services arrive can help double a person’s chances of surviving an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. However, in the UK, defibrillation is received in less than 1 out of 10 cases (Source of information: https://www.sja.org.uk/get-advice/i-need-to-know/defibrillator-guide-for-first-time-buyers/).
As a private hire industry, we need to take all methods of training, understanding and awareness in helping anyone who we come in contact within our day-to-day activities.
For example, how to use and act with AED depending on the type of passenger
| How to Use an AED on a Child
If the child is over eight years old or weighs more than 55lb (25kg), follow the steps above. If they are younger or lighter, how to use an AED on an infant differs slightly. The defibrillators will give you specific instructions on how to administer shocks to a child. In most cases, you will have to place one pad on the left side of the chest and the other on the back to prevent them from touching. Some AEDs, like the iPAD-SP1, have the capability of being switched from adult mode to child mode. How to Use an AED on a Woman When considering how to use an AED on a female, the procedure is the same as any adult. A woman’s breasts will fall to the side when laid on their back and you should be able to access the correct area of their chest without issue. It’s important to remember that it’s not inappropriate to expose a person’s naked chest when you need to use a defibrillator. You could be saving their life which is the most important thing at the time. Having someone else present might make you feel more comfortable exposing someone’s chest to use a defibrillator. How to Use an AED on a Pregnant Woman If a pregnant woman goes into cardiac arrest, it’s completely safe to use an AED and the same steps as those for an adult above should be carried out. The shocks from a defibrillator will not harm the fetus. The fetus is at risk of dying if the mother does not receive the AED. If a pregnant woman regains consciousness, she should be put in the recovery position on her left-hand side to encourage blood flow to the heart and fetus.
Source of information: https://www.steroplast.co.uk/blog/how-to-use-an-aed-steps-to-follow-at-the-critical-moment/ |
The Adult Basic Life Support with Automated External Defibrillation (BLS- AED) course with Safety as a Standard (SaaS) to me is a vital piece of training that will give any driver or fleet member the knowledge and awareness of what to do if a situation with a passenger occurs.
The course itself is detailed and gives clear indication of the steps to be taken and the actions one should entail if a situation arises. During my time I can only wish that previously people in the industry had taken this more seriously and as an investment into themselves and maybe my friend would have still have been alive today, but we can’t change the past as it is what it is, but we can defiantly act and create a safer and more knowledgeable future for all of us and if that situation arises or you find yourself in that position then it would be a life safer if that driver acted accordingly and helped you live to tell the tale of what happened then to have a statistic of what could have been.
The Adult Basic Life Support with Automated External Defibrillation (BLS- AED) course with Safety as a Standard (SaaS) is available to all fleet members from drivers to management personnel and I personally recommend that all take this opportunity and act on it today and gain the awareness of this important lifesaving opportunity. The choice is yours.
