v> Whether it's a minor situation or something more serious, first aid knowledge might just be the difference between life and death. In light of this, members of the student leadership fraternity on the Vanderbijlpark Campus of the North-West University recently underwent first aid training as offered by St Johns.

Heading-up this intervention is Sinesipho Zwane, health and safety officer of the Campus Student Representative Council (CSRC).

Sinesipho Swane

More about the training

A group of 35 student leaders benefitted from the two-day training intervention and completed both a theoretical underpinning as well as practical exercises. During the course of the programme students were given a framework of how to identify and treat the following occurrences:

• Casualty management: shock, unconsciousness and fainting
• Casualty management: responsive suspected spinal injury
• Adult resuscitation
• Severe bleeding
• Secondary surveying
• Wound care
• Burns
• Bone and joint injuries
• Multiple casualty management (triage)

Zwane explains that the practical benefits of first aid training cannot be overemphasised since it impacts on well-being of the entire campus community. “All members of the campus community become more safety aware, helping bring down the number of accidents. First aid knowledge and CPR saves lives!”

* The Campus Rector (acting), Prof Linda du Plessis, sponsored the training.