Miami-Dade Fire Rescue held training session to teach people what to do in medical emergencies
MIAMI - Would you know what to do in a medical emergency, say if a child is choking or someone is bleeding profusely?
Well, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue wants to "help."
On Thursday, they held a Health Emergency Life Protection (HELP) training course in Miami Lakes to teach those interested in how to help in emergencies.
During the course, participants learned how to recognize the most common life-threatening emergencies and how to begin medical care until first responders arrive.
"Every second counts before help arrives. This program will provide members of our community the basic knowledge to assist someone in need of immediate medical assistance," said MDFR Fire Chief Raied "Ray" Jadallah. "HELP will allow our community to know the signs of emergencies like a stroke or CPR and how to react, which can improve a person's chance of survival."
The two-hour HELP training session featured the following life-saving medical techniques:
- Adult and pediatric hands-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
- Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) operation
- Early stroke recognition
- Stopping the bleed
- Blocked airway emergencies for adults, children, and infants
According to the American Heart Association, if performed immediately, bystander CPR can double or triple a person's chance of survival from an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
Additionally, a person can die from blood loss within five minutes. According to the Florida Department of Health, those nearest someone with life-threatening injuries are best positioned to provide first care and Stop the Bleed to significantly increase a person's chance of survival.
