The morning prep
It started the way most of our days do. Laptop charged, manikins packed, and a quiet hope that the training room would have working plug sockets.
It didn’t. But adapting is part of the job.
Today was Emergency First Aid at Work for a care service in Blackburn. I got there early to set up the CPR manikins, bandages and projector. By 9:30 we were ready to go.
Meet the group
There were twelve staff in the room. Some were nervous new starters. One proudly told us they’d “done this course 10 years ago.”
That mix is normal, and it’s why we never assume what people already know. First aid guidance changes, and confidence fades if you don’t use it.
Starting with the basics
We began with what to do in an emergency. That means how to assess what’s happening, how to stay calm when everyone else is panicking, and how to stop a minor injury turning into a major one.
The hands-on part of a first aid training day
This is where the day really comes alive. We covered:
- CPR
- The recovery position
- Dealing with choking
- Controlling bleeding and bandaging
We had volunteers on the floor, some very dramatic role-play, and one person who managed to bandage themselves to the dummy. Top effort.
We don’t mind a bit of chaos. Practising on the floor, making mistakes and laughing about them is how the skills stick. You can’t learn CPR from a slide.
Real-world scenarios
After lunch, and a chat about what not to do with defibrillators, we finished with real-world scenarios. This is where everything from the morning comes together. It’s also where people find out they know more than they thought.
“I actually hope someone needs first aid now”
By the end of the day the team were confident and ready. One learner even said:
“I actually hope someone needs first aid now… just so I can use this!”
We gently reminded them that’s not exactly the goal. But we love the new-found confidence.
Then we packed up, high-fived the dummy (as is tradition) and headed home. Tomorrow: Fire Marshal. Fingers crossed the smoke alarm behaves.
