Australians underprepared to respond in emergencies

Australians are being encouraged by St John Ambulance Victoria to take on the CPR Challenge where they can learn vital first aid skills in just 10 minutes.

New statistics reveal that, as a nation, we are undertrained, underprepared and unconfident when it comes to acting in an emergency.

According to the research^[1] only 26% of Australians are trained and could step up in a first aid emergency or to save a life, yet over 99% of us believe that first aid is an important life skill.

Over the past year, only 16% of Australians completed first aid training.

In an effort to address these statistics, St John has launched the CPRLAB — a bespoke van designed to offer people with specialised CPR and first aid training in less than 10 minutes.

“Our CPRLAB is mobile, fast and fun — it’s a direct reflection of our mission to make first aid as accessible as possible,” St John Ambulance Victoria CEO Stephen Horton said.

Starting 23 March, the CPRLAB will embark on a four-week roadshow, visiting key suburbs and events across Victoria. People will be given the opportunity to use the CPRLAB’s specialised technology and put their life-saving skills to the test in the CPR Challenge.

Participants will be given a run-through of basic CPR training by qualified St John trainers before going head to head against a friend, colleague or other ‘opponent’ to see if their skills could save a life.

The training incorporates music and gamification techniques to make learning more engaging. According to Horton, the initiative goes beyond just a brush-up on first aid.

“The CPR Challenge sends a powerful message to all Australians (most of whom are inexperienced in first aid) to start thinking about how they would react in an emergency situation, and more importantly, to take action,” said Horton.

“With over 5500 cardiac arrests happening each year in Victoria alone, it’s vital that we not only have the training, but the confidence, to act swiftly in an emergency. It really can mean the difference between life and death.

“The CPR Challenge questions the ‘it will never happen to me’ mentality that many of us are guilty of. The unfortunate reality is that accidents and emergencies occur every day of the week — in the home, workplace and public spaces — and as a community we need to be prepared.”

People outside of Victoria are encouraged to take on the challenge by refreshing their CPR skills and can visit stjohnvic.com.au/cprlab for more information.

[1] A national weighted study of 2702 respondents conducted by Roy Morgan Research.

Image courtesy of USAG-Humphreys under CC-BY-2.0