This year World First Aid Day will take place on September 14th and will focus on raising public awareness about the vital role they can play at the scene of an accident.
The Red Cross will be conducting public demonstrations on O’Connell Street, outside Brown Thomas throughout the day, running from 11am until 4pm.
113 road deaths were reported by An Garda Shiochana between January and August of this year, and according to the Global Status Report on Road Safety published by the World Health Organization in 2013, an average of almost 3,400 persons die each day around the world as a result of road traffic injuries.
We are all more or less vulnerable but we all have the capacity to learn and provide first aid to save a life, is the key message for the day according to the organisers.
Many road accident deaths and injuries could be avoided if people were trained in basic first aid and were able to provide appropriate assistance at the scene of an accident.
While there is regular campaigning to reduce the occurrence of road accidents by regulating speed limits, until now there has been little done to build the confidence and knowledge of the public so that they can help to reduce road deaths through first aid at the scene.
During the day volunteers will be staging a simulated road accident and showing members of the public how knowledge of first aid can be used effectively to help at the scene of an accident.
Members of the public who would like to pursue first aid education will have the opportunity to register for courses on the day.
Open nights will also be taking place across the county in Doon, Bruff, Caherconlish, Askeaton, Murroe, Oola, Abbeyfeale and Newcastlewest that week.
Anyone wishing to make further enquiries about World First Aid Day or the upcoming courses should contact the Red Cross office on 061-468417 between the hours of 9am-1pm Monday to Friday. Information will also be available on the website www.limerickredcross.org and from volunteers on September 14th during the demonstrations in O’Connell St.
