(adapted from "Woods Wisdom - Scoutmaster's Minutes")
Scouts, I have a sort of trick question for you. Think before you answer. What's the most important thing for a first-aider to do?
Call for help? No, that's often very important, but it's not the first. Check for breathing? No - again, that's obviously vital, but it's not the first thing.
The most important thing for a first-aider to do is this: Stay cool. Think! Don't act in a panic. Think first!
Often you must act fast when a person needs first aid. But think first! That's not always easy to do in a real-life accident or serious illness, but it is essential. It's easy to be calm and cool when we practice first aid here in the troop room. It's not so easy when an accident victim is not breathing of when blood is spurting out of a severed artery. In those situations, we must act fast.
But begin training yourself now to stay cool and think before you take action. Then, if you're every in a real crisis situation, you will remember the first-aider's first rule - stay cool and think.
Last Revised 03/05/02