The Versatility of the Triangular Bandage

6 June 2025/in Blog

Why is the Triangular Bandage the best item in the first aid kit?

The versatility of the triangular bandage lies in its ability to adapt to a wide range of situations. Its shape and size allow it to be folded, tied, or wrapped in various ways, making it suitable for addressing multiple types of injuries in first aid situations at home or work.

Uses of the Triangular Bandage in First Aid

The triangular bandage can be applied in numerous ways during emergencies. Below are some of its most common and practical uses:

1. Sling for Arm or Shoulder Injuries

One of the most well-known uses of the triangular bandage is as a sling to support an injured arm or shoulder. By folding or tying the bandage, you can create a secure sling that immobilizes the arm, alleviating pain and reducing the risk of further injury. This is particularly helpful for fractures, sprains, or dislocations.

2. Securing Splints

In cases where a limb needs to be immobilized using a splint, the triangular bandage can be used to tie the splint in place securely. Its strength and flexibility make it ideal for ensuring that the splint stays in position, providing stability and protection to the injured area.

3. Head and Scalp Injuries

For wounds or injuries to the head, the triangular bandage can be wrapped around the scalp to protect the affected area. This application is especially useful for controlling bleeding and preventing contamination of open wounds.

4. Bandaging Larger Wounds

When dealing with large wounds that require coverage, the triangular bandage can be used as a dressing. It provides adequate coverage and can be tied securely to keep the wound protected until professional medical help is available. It can also act as a thick pad to apply pressure to stop bleeding or folded into a donut ring to support impaled objects.

5. Tourniquet for Severe Bleeding

In critical situations where severe bleeding needs to be controlled, the triangular bandage can be folded and used as a makeshift tourniquet. While this should only be done as a last resort and with proper caution, it demonstrates the bandage’s adaptability in life-threatening scenarios.

6. Eye Injuries

The triangular bandage can be used to create an eye pad by folding it into a smaller shape. This pad can then be tied around the head to keep the injured eye covered and protected. It can also be used a donut bandage to cover an impalement in the eye.

7. Emergency Padding

In situations where additional padding is required, the triangular bandage can be folded into a compact shape and used to cushion injuries. This is particularly helpful when splints or other rigid objects need extra padding to avoid discomfort.

8. Securing Cold Packs

When treating swelling, the triangular bandage can be used to secure cold packs or compresses against the affected area. Its ability to hold these items in place ensures that they stay effective and properly positioned.

9. Temporary Binding or Restraints

Although less common, the triangular bandage can serve as a temporary restraint or binding tool in emergency situations where controlling movement is necessary for safety.

The Triangular Bandage in Remote Locations

One of the greatest advantages of the triangular bandage is its practicality in remote or outdoor environments. For hikers, campers, or adventure enthusiasts, this lightweight and compact tool can be a lifesaver. Its ability to function as a sling, splint tie, or wound cover makes it indispensable in settings where medical facilities might be far away.

First Aid Action how to provide advanced first aid

First Aid Verification of Competency Service

1 May 2025/in Blog, News!

Ensuring Workplace Safety

In any workplace, the ability to respond effectively to emergencies, whether minor or extreme, is paramount. This capacity hinges largely on the competence of designated first aiders. However, maintaining first aid proficiency can be challenging, particularly given the recommendation in Australia that first aid skills be updated only every three years. This raises crucial questions: will your first aiders remember what they learned in their initial training? Who is responsible for ensuring that your workplace is staffed with first aiders who can act decisively and knowledgeably in an emergency?

Challenges in Maintaining First Aid Competency

First aid is a vital skill, yet like any skill, it requires regular practice to retain proficiency. Over time, without reinforcement and practical application, the knowledge and techniques learned can fade. This is particularly concerning in a workplace setting where the stakes are high; the inability to effectively administer first aid can lead to disastrous outcomes for the casualty involved.

It is not uncommon for employees trained in first aid to feel underconfident or even panic when faced with a real-life emergency if they have not had opportunities to practice their skills regularly. This is where the First Aid Verification of Competency Service comes into play, offering a practical solution to ensure that the first aiders in your workplace remain competent and prepared.

Introducing Luella’s Verification Service

Luella, an experienced first aid trainer with over 17 years of expertise, now offers a unique service designed to verify and refresh the first aid skills of your workplace first aiders. Her service is tailored to address the gap between initial training and ongoing competency, providing a means to ensure that your first aiders are ready to handle any emergency situation.

Service Components

Luella’s First Aid Verification of Competency Service includes:

2 Hour Session: This intensive session encompasses a knowledge test to determine the current level of first aid knowledge among your staff. Additionally, it includes 2-3 workplace-based scenarios using first aid equipment and props to refresh practical skills. This hands-on practice is crucial for reinforcing the techniques and procedures that may have lapsed.
Theory and Skills Refresh: Throughout the session, Luella addresses any areas where your staff feel uncertain or have forgotten critical aspects of first aid. This personalized approach ensures that all participants leave with a renewed sense of confidence and capability.
Performance Report: After the session, Luella provides a comprehensive report on each first aider’s performance. This report highlights areas of competence and identifies individuals who may need additional refresher training to meet the required standards.

Cost and Logistics

The cost for this service is $300, with an additional $50 travel fee (travel fee may vary if outside our service area – please enquire). GST is not included in these fees. Considering the potential consequences of having undertrained first aiders, this investment is a small price to pay for ensuring workplace safety and preparedness.

The Importance of Regular Verification

Regular verification and skill refreshment are essential to maintaining high standards of first aid competency within any organization. By opting for Luella’s service, you are taking proactive steps to safeguard your employees and create a safer work environment. The benefits are clear:

Enhanced Confidence: Verified training boosts the confidence of first aiders, ensuring they feel prepared to handle emergencies effectively.
Increased Preparedness: Regular practice and testing keep first aiders’ skills sharp, reducing the likelihood of panic or hesitation during an actual emergency.
Compliance: Ensuring your first aiders remain competent helps meet workplace health and safety regulations, protecting your organization from potential liabilities.

Conclusion

Investing in the First Aid Verification of Competency (VOC) Service is a commitment to workplace safety and the well-being of your employees. By regularly verifying and refreshing the skills of your first aiders, you ensure that your workplace is prepared to respond to emergencies swiftly and effectively, no matter how minor or extreme. Luella’s expertise and tailored approach offer a practical solution to maintaining first aid competence, providing peace of mind and security for your entire organization.

Don’t leave your workplace’s emergency preparedness to chance. Ensure your first aiders are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to act decisively and confidently. Contact Luella today to schedule a verification session and take the first step towards a safer, more prepared workplace.

Call 07) 3901 0599

Email: info@firstaidaction.com.au

Severe Bleeding – tourniquet or pressure?

29 April 2025/in Blog

When to Use a Tourniquet

According to the Australian Resuscitation Council Guidelines, a tourniquet should be used in situations where there is severe bleeding that is life-threatening and cannot be controlled by direct pressure. Time is a critical factor to prevent blood loss that can lead to potential fatality. Stopping a life threatening bleed will take a priority over airway and breathing interventions. Scenarios where a tourniquet is appropriate include:

Extremity injuries with significant blood loss such as an amputation, partial amputation, open fractures, shark attack, propeller cuts or similar.
Instances where direct pressure does not suffice to manage the bleeding on a limb
Situations where the location or nature of the injury makes it difficult to apply direct pressure on the limb.
Inadequate resources or time to control bleeding through other means such as applying pressure to the wound.

How to Use a Tourniquet for a Life-Threatening Bleed

Using a tourniquet effectively can be vital in controlling severe bleeding. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Identify the site of the severe bleeding.
Place the tourniquet approximately 5-10 cm above the bleeding site, avoiding joints.
Tighten the tourniquet until the bleeding stops, ensuring it is secure but not causing further injury.
Cover the exposed wound with sterile dressings if available but do not cover the tourniquet.
Note the time of application, as prolonged use can cause damage to the tissues.
Seek the ambulance immediately after applying the tourniquet.

Alternative Tourniquet Options

If a commercially manufactured tourniquet is not available, various items can be used as improvised tourniquets. These include:

Belts
Strips of cloth or clothing
Scarves or bandanas
Ropes or cords

When using an improvised tourniquet, ensure that the material used is strong enough to withstand the pressure needed to stop the bleeding and that it can be secured tightly. Follow the same guidelines for placement and tightening as for a standard tourniquet.

The appropriate and timely use of a tourniquet can save lives in critical situations. Always prioritize seeking professional medical assistance promptly and follow the guidelines to ensure safety and effectiveness. Follow the ANZCOR guidelines of DRSABCD if the casualty becomes unconscious and not breathing.

Teach your children First Aid!

22 April 2025/in Blog

Here is 8 yr old Alexis helping her mum keep still after falling down the stairs at home.

Do your children know what to do if you or a loved one who is looking after them has a fall, cuts themselves, is unconscious, is not breathing, how to call for an ambulance, choking on food, bitten by a snake and many other minor and major emergencies that may happen at home? Parents often don’t think about teaching their children first aid as they often don’t feel that they need to. But what about if you fall unconscious for a medical reason or you bump your head on some furniture and become unconscious. The simple technique of rolling you into the recovery position and calling the ambulance may save your life.

Check out little 8 year old Alexis performing a lot of first aid skills on my Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO49Wu-VLtuFVFmATqPG1mg

Alexis loves learning first aid and showing her friends at school what she has knows. She is well prepared for emergencies such as CPR, choking, stopping bleeding, burns, snake bites, how to make 3 slings, how to hold her mum still in case of a neck injury and what is in a first aid kit.

Many first aid providers offer shortened and simple courses for younger children and it is always better to receive the proper practical training under the guidance of a professional.

Can you assist with an Asthma Attack?

8 April 2025/in Blog

Staff from Dexus (Indooroopilly Shopping Centre Management) learning how to assist with an Asthma Attack.

Facts on Asthma in Australia: (information collected from Asthma Australia):

Almost 2.8 million people have asthma in Australia
Asthma is the leading cause of disease for children up to 14 years
There were 474 deaths due to Asthma in 2023.

As a First Aider in the workplace, it is important to know the signs and symptoms of asthma and how to help a work colleague if they develop symptoms.

Asthma symptoms include:

Coughing that won’t go away
Wheezing
Shortness of breath
Unable to speak or say sentences
Chest Tightness
Feeling tired
Becoming sweaty
Silent asthma – no symptoms at all until they are unwell.

Please download the below poster from Asthma Australia and pop it up in your first aid room in the workplace as a reminder on how to assist a casualty with Asthma:

AAFA-First-Aid-2023-A3_CMYK_v10_Blue-1

It is highly recommended to practice assisting a casualty with a spacer and inhaler under professional instruction in a first aid class near you. Please contact First Aid Action RTO 31668 on 07) 3901 0599 to book into one of our courses or check out our website www.firstaidaction.qld.edu.au for more information.

What is a Log Roll?

3 April 2025/in Blog

Luella demonstrating a Log Roll.

A log roll or also known as a spinal roll, is when you are needing to place a casualty with a back injury onto their side very carefully. The main reasons why you would need to do this is to protect the airway & breathing if the casualty is unconscious, or the casualty is needing to vomit or there is severe bleeding to stop on their back to access the wound. If the casualty is conscious and able to breathe then it is best to hold their head and not move them (unless danger is present) so that unnecessary movement may cause further injury to the neck and spine. Leaving an unconscious casualty too long on their back can increase the risk of choking on their tongue relaxing onto the airway and bodily fluids. The Australian Resuscitation council guidelines state that the protection of a person’s airway and breathing is priority.

The person at the head always takes control of the roll with at least two other people on one side and roll the person together keeping the neck and spine in alignment. It is always best to learn this important technique under instruction from a trained professional in a first aid course so you have the confidence to perform this skill at home or in the workplace.

Contact First Aid Action RTO 31668 for further information: 07 3901 0599 or email us at info@firstaidaction.com.au

What to do if your child is choking?

31 March 2025/in Blog

Please download the below free PDF and print it out to put on your fridge, wall or anywhere to remind you what to do if your child is choking. The information is based on the Australian Resuscitation Council guidelines. A common mistake is to hit the child hard on the back while they are actually trying to cough up the blockage themselves. This can cause the blockage to go further into the airway and completely block the airway.

If your child is able to cough, speak or breathe then let them lean forward and keep trying to cough it out or let them lay over your lap and cough. If they are becoming more distressed and unable to cough or breathe then call the ambulance. If your child is unable to cough, breathe, talk or make little or no sounds then proceed with 5 back slaps across the shoulder blades with your child over your lap and then place your hand across the chest and give 5 gentle pushes into the chest (called chest thrusts). Call the ambulance. Alternate these until the child coughs out the blockage or the ambulance take over. Be prepared if your child falls unconscious to follow the DRSABCD steps of CPR.

Teach your children to make a noise to alert you if are not watching your children eat their food. Whether they bang the table, throw their food at you, stamp the floor or simply come to you if they are choking as they will be unable to speak or scream to alert you that they are in trouble.

It is always recommended to learn these life saving skills under guidance from a professional first aid trainer in a first aid course. This will give you more confidence to be able to help your children or others.

Choking Child

Contact First Aid Action on 07) 3901 0599 or email us at info@firstaidaction.qld.edu.au for more information about our courses.

Teach your children to call for help!

27 March 2025/in Blog

Have you taught your children to call the ambulance? Do they know the number? Do they know not to hang up? Do they know the ambulance operator is not a scary person and will help them in an emergency?

Four easy words to teach your children to help them to remember how to call for help are:

CALL – call the emergency number in your country (000 or 112 on a mobile phone in Australia)

SAY – that you need an ambulance, police or fire brigade

WAIT – until the operator puts you through to the correct emergency service and DO NOT HANG UP

STAY – stay on the phone and answer the operator’s questions as best as you can. They will always help to keep you calm and tell you what to do if there is an emergency at home.

There are other important steps to teach your children in an emergency:

Practice an emergency plan if there is a fire or danger in the home. Do they know the best way to get out of the house?
Can they reach the door to open it up for the ambulance to enter the home?
Can your children remove any pets safely into another part of the house so the ambulance can enter the home safely?
Do your children know where the first aid kit is in the house and how to use the items in the first aid kit?
Have you taught your children the recovery position in case a parent, grandparent or other relative falls unconscious in the home.
Teach your children some basic first aid skills so they may able to save a life one day.

Finlay the First Aid Bear has a great catchy song to sing a long to “Call, Say, Wait, Stay” available to download on Spotify and most streaming platforms.

What is the Recovery Position?

18 March 2025/in Blog

The recovery position is an important position to place an unconscious breathing casualty. If the unconscious breathing casualty remains on their back for too long then there is a risk of choking on their bodily fluids and the tongue relaxing and blocking their airway. The staff at the Ipswich Jets Football League Club have recently practiced this important skill on each other, as they have a very large clientele that come and visit the club every day. The most important part of this position is ensuring that the head is tilted back and the mouth facing downwards to allow for the drainage of any fluids from the mouth and nose.

It is recommended to learn this important skill in a First Aid or CPR course, and be prepared for anyone unconscious and breathing at home, at work or in a public place. It could save a life! A first aid course will provide you with more information about this skill. Teach your children this important skill too, so that they can save your life if needed.

What to do if your baby stops breathing?

13 March 2025/in Blog

Learning Infant CPR is important for all parents, grandparents, older siblings and any other person that may look after your baby. It would be more traumatic to do nothing than to be able to do something that may save your babies life.

Thankfully the ambulance staff are amazing and will guide you through the steps of CPR. But, what happens if you have no service on your mobile or your phone is flat or you have left it somewhere and can’t find it? Many people have no landlines anymore and prefer to just use mobile phones.

Follow the steps of DRSABCD as per the Australian Resuscitation Council guidelines:

D – Danger – Ensure the safety of yourself, any other people and your baby before commencing CPR

R – Response – Check to see if your baby is response by talking and touching their hands and feet. Making a clicking or clapping noise with your hands may wake the baby from an unconscious state.

S- Send for an ambulance (000 or 112 on mobiles) and ask if there is a defibrillator available

A – Airway – open your baby’s mouth and check for any vomit or blockages. Turn your baby on their side to clear any blockages.

B – Breathing – check for any breathing for up to 10 seconds

C – Commence CPR – 30 compressions in the middle of the chest and then give 2 cheek full puffs of air into your baby’s mouth and nose. Ensure that you keep your baby’s head in a neutral position only. Use only two fingers and press down 1/3rd the depth of your baby’s chest and aim to press 2 compressions per second (100 – 120 min).

D – Defibrillation – If there is one available, immediately turn it on and follow the voice prompts.

It is always best to practice these skills on a manikin under the guidance of a first aid instructor so that you are better prepared for this type of emergency. Join one of our public courses on the course calendar tab or Luella is more than happy to do a live Zoom session with you. Check out the home page about Live Webinars.

You can also check out Luella’s YouTube channel and watch the video on Infant CPR:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO49Wu-VLtuFVFmATqPG1mg

Tag Archive for: First Aid