The Pierce County Chamber of Commerce recently held a free “Intro to First Aid” course.
Held in the historic train depot in downtown Blackshear and led by Blackshear Fire Chief Bucky Goble, the fivehour course involved a series of videos, demonstrations, Q and A sessions and practice with CPR dummies.
While not an official certification course, which comes with a price tag, this free event taught attendees the basics of first aid. “In good faith, you are supposed to act and are covered by Good Samaritan laws,” said Goble. “If someone is unconscious or choking, they are not going to ask to see your certification card. The goal is to empower you to help save a life until trained professionals can get there.”
Choking, heart attack, stopping external bleeding, splinting a broken bone and even the correct response to animal bites and stings were covered during the course’s broad overview. Goble demonstrated with the assistance of another firefighter both how to properly apply the abdominal thrusts popularly known as the Heimlich maneuver to a standing victim and they how to gradually recline them to the ground if they lose consciousness. Later, attendees practiced cardiopulmonary ressucitation (CPR) on practice dummies.
In spite of no cost to join and a lunch provided by the chamber, the event was only sparsely attended. Only seven people of those who signed up actually attended. Executive Director of the chamber Christi Pitts said she hopes people will take greater advantage of free courses such as these in the future.
“This is about making the workplace and our community safer,” Pitts said.
