Articles

The Value of First Aid training for anyone spending time at sea by Michael Turner, Reefers and Wreckers Dive Center After two days aboard a liveaboard while taking in the beautiful dive sites of the Red Sea, we were approaching the world famous dive site of the SS Thistlegorm. Little did we know of the events that were about to unfold… Upon arrival we could see one of the boats already moored over the Thistlegorm was in difficulty, with smoke billowing from her engine room while the crews from her and the surrounding vessels were frantically trying to put [...]

Ask any of your customers (divers or non-divers) if they would know what to do if one of their friends or family had a medical emergency, and have the confidence to feel prepared. None of us like to think that we couldn’t help. Emergency First Response (EFR) courses are a great way to get the non-diving friends and family of your existing customers involved in your dive centre, and act as an ice-breaker for introducing them to your dive crew and buddies. Three Ideas for Broadening your Audience… Parents are keen to understand how they can be prepared to help [...]

Written by Megan Denny  In the event of an emergency or disaster, does your household have enough food, water and basic supplies to last 72 hours or more? Whether you’re building your first emergency kit or already have a disaster preparedness kit, review the list below to ensure your stock of emergency supplies includes all the essential items. Every household should be prepared with the following emergency supplies: A family first aid kit (see recommended first aid kit contents) Water: one gallon per person, per day (3-day minimum, 2-weeks if space is available) Food: non-perishable and easy to prepare (3-day minimum, [...]

No matter how much preparation you do – classes you take, books you read, searched on google – nothing truly prepares you for becoming a parent. The responsibility and worry of getting it wrong can blind-side you from day one. Simple things like a grazed knee, which you’d ordinarily clean up and stick a band aid on, can become medical nightmares when they happen to your child. Which cream to use? Keep it covered or leave it open? The questions keep coming. Grazed knees included, here are 10 reasons why every parent should become Emergency First Response (EFR) certified. 1. [...]

An emergency can occur anytime, anywhere. In the event of a disaster: – Are you and your family prepared to be self-sufficient for three to five days? – Do you have a rendezvous point other than your home? – How will you communicate without a phone or mobile device? We asked first responders the best way to prepare for an earthquake, fire, flood, tornado, hurricane, or other disaster. Their recommendations are presented below as a series of key questions. As you answer each question, you’ll be one step closer to a disaster preparedness plan. #1 Where Will You Go? The [...]

How long ago was your Emergency First Response course? Could it be time for a refresh? Here are 9 reasons to keep your skills up to date with an EFR Refresher course: It’s all in the name – to refresh your skills. As with other skills that we learn in life, if we’re not using them on a regular basis we go “rusty”. It’s perfectly normal to forget some details, or the order of sequences when you’re not in the habit of practicing them frequently. The scene of an accident isn’t really the place you want to be when you realise you can’t [...]