You never know when you might need to save a life and it is for this reason that Kenwyn resident Ismail Salie is teaching basic first aid skills to those who often find themselves as first responders.
Mr Salie believes that everyone should know how to do basic first aid in order to help someone in need.
Neighbourhood watch members, for example, often find themselves at the scene of an emergency before paramedics so it is important for them to know how to stabilise an injured person.
Mr Salie gives free first aid lessons to neighbourhood watches and Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres.
He hosted a first aid refresher course at an ECD centre in Lansdowne on Saturday October 28.
The course was attended by 18 other centres from Ward 60, which includes Lansdowne, Kenwyn, Rondebosch East, Garlandale, Crawford and Sybrand Park, who were also present to renew their first aid training certificates.
The training for the 39 participants included how to perform CPR on an infant, child and an adult; how to stop bleeding; how to bandage an injury; how to stop an infant, child and adult from choking; and how to stabilise a fracture.
“It was quite easy to grasp as it was hands-on and very practical and they demonstrated on each other. This is an on going venture to help people,” said Mr Salie.
He said that because accidents happen so easily, it is important to be able to save a life.
“It takes three to five minutes for brain death to occur after a lack of oxygen to the brain and if someone loses a third of blood volume they can go into shock and death can occur. People need to be able to do CPR before the paramedics get there,” he said.
He said that providing free first aid training is his way of giving back to the community.
“I want to thank the Almighty for granting me this opportunity to assist my community as well as my beloved parents and wife for their support and motivation, my daughter Ishaarah for always helping me and my dad who prints the first aid manuals for me and assists with administration work, as well as my mom who helps out with catering.”
Ward 60 councillor Mark Kleinschmidt thanked Mr Salie for running the training.
“Mr Salie’s spirit of generosity and commitment to his community is noble and commendable. We need more of his ilk in our communities. We are indeed indebted to him.”
Mr Ismail said neighbourhood watches and ECD centres interested in learning first aid can email him on info@alay.co.za