Why?
Perhaps you might recognise this feeling.
When the opportunity to become First Aid at Work qualified came up I jumped at the chance. Immediately after qualifying I was confident that I could help with any emergency that I was required to deal with.
As the months passed, I started to forget some of the details I’d been taught and as more months passed, I forgot even more. I started to dread being called to assist someone.
I made plan after plan to keep myself current but nothing seemed to work. Finding 10 minutes to read through my First Aid manual was easily scheduled into my week (every Monday at 9am – true story) however when that time actually came, a busy workload meant it was difficult to prioritise over other tasks that had deadlines.
One day my phone rang, there was an unconscious man in the toilets on the next floor up.
My heart was racing as I grabbed my First Aid kit and ran up the stairs. As I took the stairs two at a time, I tried in vain to remember what the letters in the acronym I had memorised meant.
Luckily the man was conscious and standing when I arrived but he’d suffered a nasty bang on the head. No ambulance required but a trip to the medical centre nonetheless.
I realised then that this situation could never be repeated. And that’s when I came up with this idea.
One question. Sent by email. Every work day.
Simple. Easy. Effective.
It’ll take 15 seconds to read and to click on one of the options to reveal the answer.
Sign up. Retain your knowledge, improve your confidence.
Sample Question
This is a sample question. Sign up and you’ll get a question just like this everyday.
/STARTS/
In the event of a casualty requiring chest compressions, what is the ratio for chest compressions to rescue breaths?
Think you know? Click on one of the answers to find out.
/ENDS/
Frequently Asked Questions
BUT WHY AN EMAIL? WHY NOT AN APP?
There are already some very good apps out there. The Red Cross and the St John Ambulance both do great ones. But they all need you to load the app and go read it. I have them all on my phone. I never look at them.
This way, there’s a friendly reminder every morning. Just 15 seconds a day and you’re done.
WHO’S THIS FOR?
First Aid Daily Question was designed for people with a First Aid qualification but we also get very excited when people who want to learn First Aid sign up. The more the merrier.
FIRST AID FOR PARENTS (& TEACHERS)
If you look after children, this will become an essential daily habit to help you keep your First Aid knowledge fresh. These questions come out on Mondays and Wednesdays. We are working on a new schedule for 2021. TBC
FIRST AID FOR WORK
If you are a First Aider in a work environment, whether in an office, on a building site or anywhere, you’ll love receiving these emails so that you can feel confident about looking after your friends and colleagues. These questions come out on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We are working on a new schedule for 2021. TBC
FIRST AID FOR ADVENTURE SPORTS.
Covering sports such as climbing, kayaking, skydiving, etc, this will help you relax while you’re out enjoying life to the full, often in regions that are sparsely served by professional First Aid services. These questions come out on Fridays. We are working on a new schedule for 2021. TBC
WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO LEARN FIRST AID?
The best way to do that is to go on a course. Both the Red Cross and the St John Ambulance host great courses. FADQ is a great low effort and low (zero) cost solution if you cannot make a course.
FADQ is a great tool for retaining your knowledge and improving your confidence.
DO YOU HAVE ANY FUTURE PLANS?
We have grand plans. This is merely step one towards our goal of World Domination. Below is a list of how we’d like to expand this site in due course.
ANALYTICS
We’d like to be able to personally track all your answers so that we can tell you which areas you are weak on so that we can target future questions to help you improve that area. We’d like to make a section for you to login to if you wish so that you can see your statistics so that when it’s time for you to have a refresh, you can highlight those areas to your First Aid professional trainer.
WHAT ELSE?
Do you have a suggestion for us? Let us know below.
FUNDING
We think this site leaves the world a little better than without it. We’d quite like to cover the associated costs but it doesn’t really matter, we’ll continue to fund and run it as it’s a worthy cause.
We investigated affiliate links (pay per click) to First Aid providers. If you’re going to book a First Aid course anyway, why not book it through us? Or perhaps we might investigate sponsorship of the questions. But right now, and forever, it’s a free service to you, its users.
UPDATE:
We spoke to the Red Cross however they wish to remain impartial and will not consider a relationship that may damage that perception.
Sources
All the information we share with you has been sourced from various First Aid training courses we’ve been on and robustly checked. Our reference of choice is the First Aid Manual, 10th Edition as produced by the St John Ambulance, St Andrew’s First Aid and the British Red Cross. ISBN: 978-1-4093-4200-7
Every answer links to the relevant sections from the websites of these organisations or quotes from the First Aid Manual directly.
We think these organisations are great and they do stirling work. If you’d like to donate to them, book a refresher course through them or even take your first time qualification then the links are below.
St John Ambulance:
St John Ambulance is the nation’s leading first aid charity. Every year, more than 800,000 people learn how to save a life through our training programmes, including hundreds of thousands of young people.
Our volunteers provide first aid in their communities, keeping people safe at events, and working alongside the NHS in response to 999 calls. We’re also always campaigning to raise awareness of first aid and directly educate the public.
St. Andrew’s First Aid:
Scotland’s leading First Aid charity. In a crisis it’s vital that First Aid is delivered with confidence. We provide Scotland with the highest standards in First Aid skills, services, and volunteering opportunities. Together we save lives.
British Red Cross:
The British Red Cross helps people in crisis, whoever and wherever they are. We are part of a global voluntary network, responding to conflicts, natural disasters and individual emergencies. We help vulnerable people in the UK and abroad prepare for, withstand and recover from emergencies in their own communities.
Our reference of choice is the First Aid Manual, Revised 10th Edition as produced by the St John Ambulance, St Andrew’s First Aid and the British Red Cross. ISBN: 978-0-2412-4123-3
