Frequently Asked Questions
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What if I think I would like to help but am not sure what to do ... and don't want to make them worse ... or get sued?
The first place to start is to enroll in a first aid course. You can do a short course in just Resuscitation or a longer course that will cover how to manage bleeding, burns and broken bones (and more). Some courses have an online component, some are all face to face. |
During the course they will reassure you that as long as you stick to what you have been trained to do and do not try to replicate something you saw on television or YouTube, like cutting the snake bite injury and making them bleed out the venom (definitely not the correct first aid treatment) and as long as you do it in the interests to help, there is minimal, if not no chance, of being sued.
People are also concerned about "making them worse", such as getting them out of the car to resuscitate and now they have a spinal injury! The first thing to know is that we take being alive as more important than the injury. The next question is as to whether the accident caused the spinal injury or your moving them did? How will we know? In addition, it comes back to why you are moving them out of the car? You need to do that to resuscitate them - no question of that. If they are unconscious with a managed airway and breathing or if they are conscious, they can stay in the car as long as there is no danger (e.g., the car is not on fire).
Next, The Prepared Bystanders offers an online education programme that will answer all those questions about when to move and when not to move. When the Practical Convention is open, then we can teach you the hands-on methods of removing motorcyclist's helmets safely, if they need to be removed; supporting fractures/broken bones with bandages, especially if there is a delay in Paramedics response because you are out bush; the management of an accident scene with cars swooshing past; and more.
The Prepared Bystanders understands the importance of being trained and "prepared" for a road incident. Before this campaign, we hoped people would help at an accident, but we did not offer training and expected people to "wing it". You wouldn't sit an exam without preparation, why should we expect you to "wing it" when someone's life might depend on you?
People are also concerned about "making them worse", such as getting them out of the car to resuscitate and now they have a spinal injury! The first thing to know is that we take being alive as more important than the injury. The next question is as to whether the accident caused the spinal injury or your moving them did? How will we know? In addition, it comes back to why you are moving them out of the car? You need to do that to resuscitate them - no question of that. If they are unconscious with a managed airway and breathing or if they are conscious, they can stay in the car as long as there is no danger (e.g., the car is not on fire).
Next, The Prepared Bystanders offers an online education programme that will answer all those questions about when to move and when not to move. When the Practical Convention is open, then we can teach you the hands-on methods of removing motorcyclist's helmets safely, if they need to be removed; supporting fractures/broken bones with bandages, especially if there is a delay in Paramedics response because you are out bush; the management of an accident scene with cars swooshing past; and more.
The Prepared Bystanders understands the importance of being trained and "prepared" for a road incident. Before this campaign, we hoped people would help at an accident, but we did not offer training and expected people to "wing it". You wouldn't sit an exam without preparation, why should we expect you to "wing it" when someone's life might depend on you?
What does it cost and what do I get for my money?
The first cost is updating your first aid qualifications if needed.
To register in The Prepared Bystanders online training will cost $TBC. The online course will involve 10–15-minute lessons and will include interviews with experts, demonstrations of scenario management, understanding what crash test dummies can teach us and much more. There will be opportunities for live Q&A sessions and to meet other participants online through a member only portal. In total there will be XX short films to watch.
One of the factors in play now is that if you attend to an accident scene, while the Police might take your details, you may never hear the outcome for the people you helped, and they cannot get hold of you to thank you for what you provided. The Prepared Bystanders will endeavour to make those connections, where privacy laws allow, so that you can rest well knowing they made it to hospital or rehab or home!
In addition, after attending to an accident scene currently, we are left to manage ourselves and often we are hampered by self-doubting questions like "did I do the right thing?", "should I have done XYZ instead?". This is another area The Prepared Bystanders would like to address and if you need to speak to someone on a technical or first aid or reassurance basis, that can be provided along with access to a debriefing service if needed. It is hoped that this is not at a further cost to you but made available with the generous donations of businesses and philanthropic organizations who believe in the project and what we are out to achieve.
The practical training will be an opportunity to gain further understanding and skills that will help you, if you ever need to be in attendance at a road incident. It is not only car to car accidents we will consider, but also motorcyclists, push bike riders, scooter, skateboards, pedestrians and any other type of road incident you can imagine. It is planned there will be a variety of learning tools including Virtual Reality scenarios, serious gaming scenarios, mock accident scenarios, along with practical classes in removal of motorcyclist helmets, resuscitation revision and bandaging fractures or controlling external bleeding. The cost for this is not established yet and discounts to those registered for the online course will hopefully be possible.
The first cost is updating your first aid qualifications if needed.
To register in The Prepared Bystanders online training will cost $TBC. The online course will involve 10–15-minute lessons and will include interviews with experts, demonstrations of scenario management, understanding what crash test dummies can teach us and much more. There will be opportunities for live Q&A sessions and to meet other participants online through a member only portal. In total there will be XX short films to watch.
One of the factors in play now is that if you attend to an accident scene, while the Police might take your details, you may never hear the outcome for the people you helped, and they cannot get hold of you to thank you for what you provided. The Prepared Bystanders will endeavour to make those connections, where privacy laws allow, so that you can rest well knowing they made it to hospital or rehab or home!
In addition, after attending to an accident scene currently, we are left to manage ourselves and often we are hampered by self-doubting questions like "did I do the right thing?", "should I have done XYZ instead?". This is another area The Prepared Bystanders would like to address and if you need to speak to someone on a technical or first aid or reassurance basis, that can be provided along with access to a debriefing service if needed. It is hoped that this is not at a further cost to you but made available with the generous donations of businesses and philanthropic organizations who believe in the project and what we are out to achieve.
The practical training will be an opportunity to gain further understanding and skills that will help you, if you ever need to be in attendance at a road incident. It is not only car to car accidents we will consider, but also motorcyclists, push bike riders, scooter, skateboards, pedestrians and any other type of road incident you can imagine. It is planned there will be a variety of learning tools including Virtual Reality scenarios, serious gaming scenarios, mock accident scenarios, along with practical classes in removal of motorcyclist helmets, resuscitation revision and bandaging fractures or controlling external bleeding. The cost for this is not established yet and discounts to those registered for the online course will hopefully be possible.
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The bottom line of what is in it for you, is your increased confidence, knowledge and skills to help at a road incident. If you were involved in an accident, you would want the people helping you to know what they are doing and able to confidently reassure you. It is only fair that we be able to give what we would want to receive. |
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