Church Safety & Securty: Church First Aid

Church safety first aid is providing the initial care for the sick or injured before definitive medical treatment can be accessed.  First aid consists of simple techniques which can be lifesaving taught to mostly non-expert in medicine and are performed with minimum equipment.  First aid has been known to save lives before medical care is given to victims of accidents or for some illnesses.  It is important to have a trained person perform the first aid since untrained persons may aggravate the situation leading to more complications or death.

Training in first aid is offered at a low cost or at no cost by some organizations like the American Red Cross and even some Technical schools.  The first step in designing the first aid training program is to identify the types of injuries and illnesses the first aid crew is likely to encounter, the number of people likely to be injured at one instant of such a risk and the degree of the injuries likely to be suffered by those injured.  This should be planned putting in mind the worst case scenario so as to cover all the bases in case of emergency. The number of first aid providers will depend on this evaluation and evaluation of the distance to the nearest medical facilities.

There should be a designated room for the activities related to medical emergencies.  All the members of the church should be aware of the existence of the room and those responsible for it.  The room should be equipped with a first aid kit, a professional one, with all necessities for an emergency; an Automated External Defibrillators (AED) could be an ideal addition, though those handling the AED have to undergo specialized training on how to operate the machine.  The room should also have several beds depending on the analysis of possible emergencies for rest before transportation. The medical room should be supplied with essential medicine for first aid and this should be restocked often and replaced in cases of expiration.  The first aid kits should also be replenished periodically as appropriate.

To ensure church safety first aid is important to plan how transportation of the injured or the sick will be undertaken in advance to avoid cases of confusion during an emergency.  A designated person should be available to call for transportation of the injured to the hospital if the church does not have such transport.  The transport provided should have necessary facilities for the care of the sick and the injured during transportation.

Communication is a key aspect in any emergency situation.  All stakeholders should know whom to contact in case of an emergency and their contact details should be shared widely.  Safety procedures and warnings should be communicated, such as slippery floors and other potentially hazardous situations.

It is important to keep documentation on the first aid plan and the activities of the first aid team. Such documentation would assist the church in identifying gaps in the first aid plan.  Documentation also assists that first aid providers understand the history of incidences and what to expect.

In church safety, first aid can save a lives.



Be Safe!

Russ Sharrock

If you have any questions or you are interested in a consultation on safety & security for your church you can contact me at:
 

Integrity Security Consulting

Russ Sharrock

405-762-2471 | integrityseccon@hotmail.com