Your first aid skills?

[Thunderfoot]

Sounds like we've chewed a lot of the same ground. I was lucky enough to be certified as a first responder in Maryland, which basically meant I couldn't drive the ambulance or start an IV.. Though I never got the chance, I have seen FRs drafted for life flights because they were small and light weight. It doesn't take an EMT to continue vitals and BVM/O2...

I can tell that a lot of the differences though are probably regional too. Both of us should have lead off with - check your local laws and policies to find out what applies to you.

And for me, the pulse thing is more of a continuation of the do no harm... compressing the heart to get it started again is awesome, stopping it again because you continue to compress...not so much. Of course, anything is better than nothing, and that was the first thing I was taught.

The pocket breathers are awesome, if you really want light weight there is also the "on the roll type" which is kind of a "throw and go" put in a Ziploc or Glad bag and you have a light weight, self contained breathe kit with a disposable bag to put it in after you're finished.

And don't worry about being "that guy" medicine is practice, if they got it right the first time, they wouldn't have to keep repeating.

 

[wingsandsword]

First Aid/CPR/AED certified here. Also have Combat Lifesaver certification in the Army. That's pretty much the same level of care as civilian First Aid/CPR training, but with an emphasis towards combat injuries.

Had the idle interest to one day get my EMT certification, but it's around $1000 and takes about six months, and having the money to spend on it and knowing I'd have the free time to be in class for it is a little bit hard.