Posted by Andrew Johnston on February 21, 2012
With
the mild weather we have been having people tend to forget that we
can have nasty weather in Ottawa and we always have to be ready in
case
of
an emergency.
In
the event of an emergency residents are expected to take care of
themselves
for the first 72 hours while emergency crews respond to the worst hit
areas.
If
you lost electricity for 72 hours in the middle of winter how would
you
cope?
Some
things to consider:
Create
an emergency communications plan with family members and establish a
meeting place
Assemble
an emergency preparedness kit
Educate
yourself on your municipality's emergency plan and child's school or
daycare's emergency plan.
Learn
basic first aid
Learn
when and how to shelter in place.
Did
you know that in order to meet the minimum personal needs you should
have a 2 litres of drinking water per person per day and two litres
of water per person per day for cleaning. That is 12 litres per
person for
three
days. Your food kit should also contain canned foods and non
perishable milk products.
As
an Authorized Training Provider of the Canadian Red Cross, all First
Aid Ottawa Standard and Emergency First Aid courses are recognized by
WSIB and its Federal counterpart the Canada Labour code. Visit us
online at www.FirstAidOttawa.com or at 613-225-2727.
Posted by Andrew Johnston on February 07, 2012
Canadians
love their outdoor/cold weather activities. Some activities like
hockey, skating, skiing/snowboarding do have a higher incidence of
head injuries. Lately there has been a lot of discussion about head
protection for these sports. For most people this has lead to further
confusion about how to protect themselves.
The
best way to prevent injury is to wear the appropriate gear. For
hockey, skating and skiing/snowboarding this includes helmets. Old
and young need to wear helmets.
When
choosing a helmet, style is not the most important part. Look for the
CSA (Canadian Standards Association) sticker on your helmet to ensure
that it meets the rigorous requirements to meet your needs.
Next
wear your helmet. A helmet does not work if you do not wear it. When
you wear it make sure you wear it properly (this includes using the
chin strap).
Finally,
despite the fact that you are wearing a helmet does not preclude that
you should practise your sport/activity safely.
As
an Authorized Training Provider of the Canadian Red Cross, all First
Aid Ottawa Standard and Emergency First Aid courses are recognized by
WSIB and its Federal counterpart the Canada Labour code. Visit us
online at www.FirstAidOttawa.com or at 613-225-2727.
Posted by Andrew Johnston on January 17, 2012
With
the arrival of snow shoveling season many suffer a heart
attack while shoveling. Awareness of what to look for is essential
for survival.
What
is a Heart Attack?
A
Heart occurs when a coronary artery (an artery that supplies the
heart itself
with blood) is blocked.
Without
blood and the oxygen within it part of the heart dies. It
is possible to survive a heart if a small enough area of the heart
is affected.
What
to look for?
Squeezing
chest pain
Problems
breathing
Abdominal
or back pain (more common in women)
Cold,
sweaty skin
Skin
that bluish or paler than normal
nausea
and vomiting
jaw
pain
Denial
Women,
elderly and those with diabetes tend to experience softer
signs:
Chest
discomfort that comes and goes,
gets better with rest,
gets
worse with
activity,
doesn't feel like pain,
start mild and gets
continually stronger.
What
to do?
Call
911 and get an AED
Have
the person rest comfortably
If
the person has medication for this assist them in taking it.
Monitor
their ABC's
Posted by Andrew Johnston on January 12, 2012
Recently, Andrew Johnston was on CTV Morning Live to talk about Frostbite. Check out the video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLb4_V_tYJI&context=C3b606c3ADOEgsToPDskI_BvBaqmZnsGrYyZZ54JHz
Posted by Andrew Johnston on December 16, 2011
For First Aid purposes a Baby is considered from birth to one year of age.
If a baby is coughing we do not want to interfere with the cough. The cough is best way to clear the obstruction. If the baby cannot make any sounds then we need to step in and assist.
If need to perform these techniques (even successfully) it is recommended that you have the baby checked out by a Physician to ensure that the object is still in the baby (even if we got something out).
The technique involves 5 back blows followed by 5 chest thrusts which are repeated until the baby starts coughing or crying.
As an Authorized Training Provider of the Canadian Red Cross, all First Aid Ottawa Standard and Emergency First Aid courses are recognized by WSIB and its Federal counterpart the Canada Labour code. Visit us online at www.FirstAidOttawa.com or at 613-225-2727.
