St John Ambulance Victoria has revealed that 83 per cent of Australians don’t feel confident in responding to a first-aid emergency and 43 per cent of all workers have never completed first-aid training.
The not-for-profit organisation found that almost half of Australians have never been trained in first aid, while only 13 per cent have been first-aid trained in the past year.
St John has since launched an appeal to get more Aussies trained in first aid, calling for at least one person from every household and workplace to be first-aid prepared.
The appeal has been spearheaded by Carlton FC Vice-Captain Kade Simpson, who witnessed firsthand the importance of being first-aid trained when he was forced to assist in rescuing a swimmer caught in a riptide but was unable to administer CPR.
“After the incident I realised if anyone had needed first aid or CPR I wouldn’t have been able to save them,” he said.
“I’ve since undertaken first-aid training with St John and have seen how important it is, as there are so many first-aid situations I could encounter in my daily life – out jogging in the park, on the field, at home with the family, the list goes on.”
St John Ambulance Victoria CEO Gordon Botwright says keeping first-aid skills up to date was integral to responding quickly and efficiently in an emergency.
“First-aid training should be refreshed yearly to ensure that skills are current and to maintain the confidence to deliver first aid in an emergency situation,” he said.
“The skills you learn could help you save a life.”
