Ralph Clark never thought he’d have the skills or confidence to be able to help in the event of an emergency, until he completed the First Minutes Matter trauma training workshop.
“I got so much out of it, confidence in particular, that if I do come across some kind of emergency now, I feel confident that I do have the skills that could make a difference and even save somebody’s life.“
The South Burnett retiree is one of thousands of people now armed with critical and potentially life-saving skills, shared by the medical professionals who work on board the iconic blue and yellow RACQ LifeFlight Rescue helicopters.
First Minutes Matter trauma training is a free community safety education program offered online and in-person by LifeFlight Australia’s most senior Critical Care Doctors and Flight Paramedics.
After its first year of delivery and almost 30 in-person workshops hosted across Queensland, the program is being hailed a huge success.
“The past 12 months have been a really great success for the program. We’ve far exceeded expectations in terms of workshops and online registrations, due to demand and the success and ease of the program,“ LifeFlight Paramedic and First Minutes Matter trainer Craig Blick said.
Following the launch of the program in late 2021, thousands of every day Queenslanders are now better equipped to help during the initial, crucial minutes following a traumatic incident.
Now more than 12 months on, LifeFlight is returning to the Sunshine Coast region for another series of in-person workshops, to educate even more community members.
The idea to create First Minutes Matter trauma training for the public came from LifeFlight’s aeromedical crew members who know patient outcomes are dramatically improved by actions taken in the first minutes after an incident, before emergency crews arrive.
“As a paramedic, I understand the CBD and larger communities are well catered for in terms of paramedical response, but it is the direct opposite when we go to the remote communities,“ said Craig Blick.
“So it’s really important for us to be heading out to these regional communities and educate them on what to do while they’re waiting for an ambulance, police, fire and rescue or even the RACQ LifeFlight Rescue helicopter.“
“These teachings make a huge difference. The topics that we choose to teach are aimed at those real-life threats that can happen and we can teach people the basic skills, so that we can help save lives and we know that’s happening,“ he said.
During the free, in-person workshops, LifeFlight Paramedic and First Minutes Matter Trainer Craig Blick shares his invaluable knowledge for dealing with trauma incidents including seizures, choking, burns, bleeding, snake bites and cardiac events.
The latest in-person First Minutes Matter workshops are being held in Noosa on 5 and 6 December.
Register at – firstminutesmatter.org.au
