site.btaSome 32% of Bulgarians Have Passed First Aid Course - Bulgarian Red Cross

About 32% of Bulgarians have taken a first aid course once, it is important to refresh the skills again after a few years. This is what the Deputy Director General of the Bulgarian Red Cross (BRC), Dr. Nadezhda Todorovska, told BTA's Borislava Bibinovska on the occasion of World First Aid Day, September 14. The motto this year is "First Aid and Sports".

Todorovska recalled that a quick and adequate response saves lives and helps a person recover faster after an accident. This opinion was also shared by Nevelina Stoyneva, the Chief Specialist for Planning and Project Management in the Sofia organization of the Bulgarian Red Cross . She pointed out that heart attack, stroke, hypothermia, dehydration, and fractures with open wounds are some of the emergency conditions that require first aid and for which it is good that people are trained. It is about a set of basic techniques before the medical team comes, she stressed.

Todorovska and Stoyneva believe that World First Aid Day is an occasion to remind ourselves that life is precious and one should be ready to help a citizen in distress. They said that these messages will be conveyed during an event at Sofia's South Park on Saturday featuring various activities and demonstrations of first aid techniques. The Mountain Rescue Service of the Bulgarian Red Cross will demonstrate the removal of a tourist injured during a hike, and the reaction to fires will be shown. There will be various quizzes and activities for children. At noon specialists, volunteers and visitors will join hands as a symbol of World First Aid Day. 

Gaining knowledge and development 

Candidate drivers are part of the people trained to provide first aid, said the BRC Deputy Director General. In order to get their driving licenses, they must have taken the BCC course, Todorovska said. Usually these are people aged 18 to 20, but after 30 they are still drivers, thus a refresher is required to make them more adequate to help, she  noted. Therefore, the BRC appeals that there should be repetition of this knowledge and that everyone who has done the course once should do it again once every five years, the expert stressed. She reminded that the BRC certificate is valid for five years and is certified by the Global First Aid Reference Centre in Paris, France. 

In some countries, you cannot be a teacher or caregiver if you do not have a valid first aid certificate, Todorovska also said, adding that workplace accidents are among the most common. She said sports accidents are another group where first aid is often required. She recalled the case of Danish footballer Christian Eriksen, who fell lifeless on the pitch during the Denmark-Finland match at the 2020 European Football Championship. This is an example of how instant medical assistance proves important in sport, because the medics on the spot, including a Bulgarian doctor, managed to bring him back to life. First response allows a person to get on with their life normally and recover, she insisted, stressing that no one is immune from accidents. Therefore, besides providing help, we should also know how to protect ourselves from accidents, the expert said.

Preparation from an early age 

"The earlier we start being trained in first aid, the more useful we will be," said Stoyneva. According to her, this can start at an early age. She added that the BRC has training programmes in kindergartens. The terminology is not presented in a complicated way, the situation is through a role model, but still a set of techniques is shown to acquire the relevant experience, Stoyneva explained. In her words, this is how children can be helpful to an adult in a problematic situation. Parents can approach the Youth Red Cross clubs to go for trainings for their children as well. For the elderly, we provide the option of pre-medical courses at the workplace by arrangement with an employer, Stoyneva said. According to the BRC, it is important for children to recognize the signs of emergency conditions and be able to call 112 if an adult next to them is in need.

Dr. Vitan Vitanov of the First Aid Academy association, which organises training sessions to ensure that as many people as possible know how to react in first aid situations, is of the same opinion. There are situations where time is a serious factor. Among them are massive bleeding, airway obstruction, the specialist noted. He also welcomed training children in first aid. Vitanov said that in England training starts from early childhood. Children do cardiac massage on teddy bears and later on a special dummy. There is follow-up training and the acquisition of lasting skills, because this builds a well-trained society whose citizens do not hesitate to help in an accident, Vitanov said. He stressed that in our country, first aid is developed according to protocols that are not complicated and suggest certain action steps. The point is to have a willingness to learn, he added.

Maria Dimova, who is a teacher and coordinator of the Bulgarian Youth Red Cross in Momchilgrad, is also a supporter of early training. "As a biology teacher, I know how important health protection and a healthy lifestyle are and in our club we address these topics," she said. Young people lack the knowledge and skills to help in case of need, Dimova believes, which is why trainings on such topics should be held in kindergartens and schools, she added. For the youngest ones, it is advisable to have entertaining games and build elementary first aid habits, Dimova explained.

Parents, teachers and athletes among most frequent group for trainings 

The First Aid Academy association has been training people in first aid for over ten years. "We are most often sought out by people who practice extreme sports or hike in the mountains," Vitanov said. They learn that traumatism is part of these sports, so they increase their knowledge in this area, he explained. The other group is parents who are about to care for a child and want to prepare for a possible accident, Vitanov also pointed out. The third group are pedagogical specialists in schools and kindergartens. It is good for every person to know how to deal with the main accidents and not to pass by an injured person especially on the road, in public places, etc., the specialist also said.

Stoyneva and Vitanov called on citizens to have a first aid kit and to check the availability of the materials in it, including the expiry date of medicines.