Only one in two French people is trained in first aid. Faced with this too low number, training in saving behaviors will be the Great National Cause of 2016.
Faced with the impressive delay that France has taken, and after the attacks that hit the capital last year, the government has decided to honor the learning of life-saving gestures. For the first time, the French Red Cross, the National Federation of Civil Protection and the National Federation of Firefighters of France have been chosen to illustrate the Great National Cause of 2016, with the slogan “Let’s adapt behaviors who save ”.
With this label, granted to associations by the French government since 1977, the collective will benefit from better visibility with the general public, in particular thanks to free advertisements, on television or on the radio.
Only one in five people know how to perform cardiac massage
47% is the number of people trained in first aid in France. In Norway, this figure reaches 95%. In Austria, 8 people from the 10 are undergoing training. A delay pointed out by associations. In France, only one in five people who witness a cardiac arrest practice cardiopulmonary resuscitation (cardiac massage). In addition, “we estimate at 50,000 the number of cardiac arrests and at 190,000 the number of strokes requiring treatment within 90 minutes”, details an official text of the National Assembly.
Level 1 civic first aid training (PSC1) teaches everyone how to react to discomfort, hemorrhage, cardio-respiratory arrest or even choking. During one day, participants are invited to practice the gestures on mannequins. For certain professions, such as security guards, daycare workers, police officers or taxis, the PSC1 is compulsory. However, it is not dispensed to other professions.
Only 30% of college students trained
Although an introduction to first aid is given during the JDC (compulsory defense and citizenship day), where participants learn, among other things, to alert the emergency services, this training remains too light. For associations, like the French Red Cross, the general public should be trained from an early age in first aid. Patrick Dallem, Director of Emergency and First Aid for the French Red Cross, interviewed by Why actor, denounces the lack of training and trainers at school. “Since 2004, 14-year-olds have had to receive first aid training, but this is not actually the case. Only 30% to 40% of them are trained ”. The modules would be explained too quickly, and would even be sloppy.
Record broken in Bagneux
The challenge will have been met brilliantly. On March 12, in just one day, 154 people were trained in first aid, a first in France. In Bagneux (Hauts-de-Seine), sixteen trainers from the French Red Cross met to provide a full day of training in the municipal gymnasium; they sold out. “The participants had come with family and friends, the atmosphere was very pleasant and they seemed delighted! », Says one of the organizers of the event. It was a success, the team in charge of the “giant PSC1” even had to refuse nearly 80 requests. The initiative is expected to be repeated in March 2017, the team hopes.
Train 17 million people
“France is still very late in terms of first aid. We had already, in 2011 and in 2013 with 40 other associations, applied for this label of Great National Cause without obtaining a positive response, explains Patrice Dallem to Why actor. But with the attacks that hit France, the general public has been made aware of life-saving actions. “. The association had also launched its campaign at the beginning of the year, “Become actors, initiate yourself in first aid”. Its objective: to raise awareness, free of charge, to the general public during 2-hour sessions. And since then, “75,000 people, two-thirds of whom are women, have taken the initiative and have come to learn life-saving gestures,” explains the French Red Cross association in a press release. “Requests for training at PSC1 have increased by 7% but this is still insufficient,” says Patrice Dallem. It is urgent to train as many people as possible. ”
Beyond training to prepare for new threats, the PSC1 is primarily concerned with preventing domestic accidents. Each year, they are responsible for nearly 20,000 deaths in France. “Parents often see their child choking and do not know how to react, others witness a heart attack and do not know how to carry out cardiopulmonary resuscitation,” explains the director. The latter sets an ambitious goal. It would be necessary “that at least one person per household is formed, that is to say 17 million people”, he concludes.
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