Pembrokeshire man’s new first aid skills called into action days after completing St John Ambulance Cymru training

“It was nice to be able to feel like I was able to help rather than just stand by and be a spectator.” – Pembrokeshire man’s new first aid skills called into action days after completing St John Ambulance Cymru training course

A man is highlighting the importance of learning first aid skills just in case they are needed nearby, having been able to help when an accident happened near his office just days after he had completed a St John Ambulance Cymru training course.

31-year-old Kieran Warlow was at work in Milford Haven when he heard a deep thud outside his office. He quickly realised two vehicles had been involved in an accident on the road outside the Sunbelt Rental Depot where he works.

As it happens, he had completed a three-day First Aid at Work course at St John Ambulance Cymru’s Swansea Training Centre the previous week and put his newly acquired skills to work once he arrived at the scene of the collision.

Having ensured there were first aid-trained people supporting one driver that had been involved, Kieran turned his attention to the other driver and following the training he had been given, swiftly conducted a primary survey.

Kieran said: “I was able to identify that he had started to go into shock from the impact and was getting confused and dazed, so I got him to sit down and took down some notes, like I’d been trained to do.”

As the man was shivering, Kieran helped find a blanket and recorded information on what had happened and details about the driver, including the amount of paracetamol and caffeine in the tablets he had been given. He then passed the notes to the emergency services once they arrived.

He added: “The paramedic asked me where I’d learned to take handover notes like this, and I told him it was from the First Aid at Work course that I’d completed just the week before.”

Kieran was full of praise for the St John Ambulance Cymru Workplace Trainer who had delivered the course:

“Jon was phenomenal. He was so thorough and engaging in his delivery. I really enjoyed the experience of the course and learnt a lot. It was nice to do the course with a group of people who were all engaged, and it was really well delivered.

“I was going to leave a positive review anyway but I wanted to let people know what had happened in case it could potentially encourage others to take the course so they could potentially help in the future.

“It was really nice to feel like I may have actually made a positive impact.”

If you would like to learn new skills or requalify you can see the range of Workplace Training courses St John Ambulance Cymru offer by visiting www.sjacymru.org.uk/training.