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Emergencies don’t happen at our convenience. Sometimes they happen when the only person present is a young child. If that child has the skills and confidence to help in an emergency situation, they could save a life.
Children as young as three have been able to save their parents in an emergency by calling Triple Zero (000) and providing vital information, such as a name and address. While it might sound simple enough, even the most basic first aid knowledge can make a huge difference. This is what happened to a family in Darwin when a 12-year-old boy woke up to find his mum having a seizure. The boy and his 10-year-old sister called an ambulance and cleared her airway before rolling her into the recovery position. These actions saved their mother’s life.
Annette Plowman, Director Volunteering, Events and Community Education announced this week that St John NT is looking to expand their volunteer services and recruit members of the community to train as Volunteer Community Educators to help develop skills in our younger population and build greater resilience in our communities.
“Our Community Education Program provides children and adults the confidence to act in an emergency through our practical and easy to follow step-by-step plans. These are vital skills - skills that could save a life,” she said.
“We are looking for enthusiastic people who are passionate about making their community a safer place and assist in the delivery of our First Aid in Schools program We will provide the training to ensure volunteers are confident and ready to go – no experience needed!”
Established in 2010, First Aid in Schools is a health initiative designed to make first aid a part of every Territorian’s life. The program has delivered non-accredited first aid skills to over 75,000 school-aged children across the Territory, and when face-to-face training shut down due to COVID-19, St John NT continued to deliver the program via online learning modules.
First Aid in Schools sessions are specifically tailored to children from pre-school to year nine, and removes barriers and stigma to ensure first aid awareness is accessible to young people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds.
“Volunteer Community Educators will work as part of our team helping to remove fear around emergencies including familiarisation with ambulances, paramedics, and equipping students with basic first aid knowledge, from calling Triple Zero (000) to CPR."
If you are interested in becoming a Volunteer Community Educator, please contact Hayley Edge (Darwin and Top End) or Ria Mitchell (Alice Springs) on volunteering@stjohnnt.asn.au or call 08 8922 6205.
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