Why Every Cab Driver Should Learn First Aid And CPR

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If you're a cab driver who guarantees to get your passengers to and from their destinations in five heart-stopping minutes flat, then you need to take First Aid and CPR courses. More than 700,000 people experience heart attacks each year. In most of these cases, the victims don't even know they have a heart problem in the first place. If those clients experience a heart attack in your taxi, you'll need to have the life-saving skills to help them. Here are a few reasons why you need to learn First Aid and CPR.

What Is a Heart Attack?

A heart attack is one of the deadliest medical conditions in the United States. It happens when the heart stops receiving blood from the rest of the body. This is typically due to a blocked artery in the heart caused by hard substances called plaque.

During a heart attack, the  heart muscle dies. Certain factors like stress and increased heart rate may cause it. Some of the things you do while transporting your passengers may increase these problems, including:

You Make Sudden Stops

Every sudden stop or screeching halt you make places passengers with diagnosed and undiagnosed heart problems at risk for a heart attack. These passengers may experience a rise in their blood pressures, heart rates, adrenalin, and several other symptoms. They health issues may contribute to a heart attack because they excite the heart to pump faster.

You Speed through Traffic

In order to get your passengers to their destinations quickly and live up to your guarantee, you may speed to get them there. Although your mad driving skills help you keep your word, they can also cause some potential heart problems with your passengers. Speeding can place unnecessary strain and stress on your passengers' hearts, especially if you do it in heavy traffic.

You Know Every Hidden Shortcut

There's no street, alley or interstate you can't navigate. In fact, you know every hidden shortcut in the city. But those impressive skills can get you into trouble if some of your passengers experience a failing heart. If you're too far from the hospital to get your passengers the proper medical care, you might place their lives at risk.

But you can do something proactive to protect your passengers: you can take First Aid and CPR classes.

What Should You Expect in First Aid and CPR Classes?

First Aid and CPR training classes teach you how to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on infants, children and adults, as well as how to restart the heart with an artificial machine. These individuals may stop breathing during a heart attack, which can cause death or permanent brain damage.

You may also do the following things before you receive your certifications:

• Practice CPR on child and adult mannequins: These life-size dolls contain inflated balloons for lungs to help you learn the technique. You generally practice blowing air into the mannequins until you see their chests rise. Also, you learn how to use an AED or defibrillator machine to get the heart pumping again. This machine slows down or recharges the electrical impulses of the heart until it beats again.
• Learn how to look and listen out for signs of a heart attack: These include rapid breathing, wheezing and skin that turns blue or purple. You watch videos and listen to an instructor during this portion of the class. People who experience a heart attack may exhibit a shortness of breath right before they actually have it.
• Feel for a pulse: You practice this part of the course on your classmates and the mannequins. The instructor shows you how to locate various pulse sites in the arms, wrists and the neck. Heart attack victims can have very rapid pulses as blood struggles to circulate through the heart's arteries.

There are a few things to know about your classes. The classes take 5-8 hours each to complete. You generally take CPR first, and then First Aid at a later date. However, this is up to the training center you sign up with.

You receive two certification cards: one for CPR and one for First Aid. Your instructor will tell you how long they last and when you need to return to renew them.

Although you operate a taxi, you can learn the life-saving skills to help your passengers when they need you. If you have questions about the classes, contact your emergency care specialists for more information.

18 September 2014