First Aid Skills

TRANSCRIPT
First Aid Skills

NARRATOR:
In England, primary school pupils are learning how to give basic first aid. They are told about CPR, they learn what to do if someone gets a burn, and how to call for help in an emergency. Learning how to help themselves and others gives students confidence. It helps them feel ready to act if something goes wrong.

SOUNDBITE - vox pop 1:
“Now I know how to save people's lives and I feel like a hero. 

SOUNDBITE - vox pop 2:
If an event like this ever happened, I know what to do.”

NARRATOR:
The skills these students are learning can make a real difference when it matters most. One teenager has already shown how important first aid can be.
Jack Smithson is 16. He was working at his first job as a waiter when a serious emergency happened. Scarlett and her grandmother Angie were at this table having breakfast. Scarlett started choking on a piece of food. Jack stayed calm and used his first-aid training to help.

SOUNDBITE - Jack Smithson:
“All of a sudden, I heard the screams from Scarlett's grandmother, so I grabbed Scarlett and started using the Heimlich manoeuvre. You have to interlock your fingers like this and then wrap it round the person who's choking and basically just push in and up.”

NARRATOR
Jack saved Scarlett’s life.

SOUNDBITE - Angie Kelly:
“I'd just like to say, Jack, you're an absolute hero and I'll always be grateful to you for everything that you did that day.”

SOUNDBITE - Scarlett Vickerage:
“I was really glad that he was there and thankful that he did that to me and everything like that. It was just really good that he did that.”

SOUNDBITE - Jack Smithson:
“There's no words that can really describe it, if I'm being honest. It's just extremely happy and proud to have saved her life.”

NARRATOR
First aid is a really useful skill — you never know when you might need it.