First Response Safety Training

Firefighters, police, first responders and lay responders must know how to take care of themselves and the victims they attempt to save during a fire. The fire itself, the burning structure, surrounding power lines and harsh weather are just a few factors that may put both the responders and the victims in further danger. A responder must be aware of and know how to best address each risk.

Basics

• Training for fire response can be received in firefighter school or in a response class open to the general public, such as first aid classes taught by the American Red Cross. These classes teach a responder to approach the scene with caution and check to see if it is safe to enter. By using illustrations, hypothetical situations, role-playing and discussion, teachers inform students about the many risks that surround an emergency situation.

Skills

• Basic first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) are two skills that all responders should know when approaching a fire. Knowing how to patch up an open wound properly will prevent both the responder and the victim from serious infection or injury. Knowing how to administer CPR, or breaths and compressions to a victim suffering from a heart or breathing emergency, can significantly increase the victim's chance of survival. First responders and firefighters often depend on lay responders to maintain life in a victim until they receive the call and arrive on scene.

Benefits

• First response safety training will teach a responder how to keep herself out of danger by examining her surroundings with a trained eye. It teaches lay responders to look for details quickly before making the emergency call. It will teach students how to maintain life in a victim that is unconscious, bleeding, injured or without a heartbeat or pulse. Organizations such as the American Red Cross recommend such training to the general public, as laypeople are often the first to witness and act on an emergency situation.