World First Aid Day #firstaidday

This World First Aid Day, the Canadian Red Cross is calling on all Canadians to ensure they have the skills and confidence needed to save lives when an emergency happens.

We often hear of Canadians who have provided first aid to help strangers or colleagues, but we are less likely to hear the stories of every day silent heroes saving the lives of people they love.

Did you know that two thirds of heart attacks happen in the home; 90% of choking deaths occur in children under the age of five; and bathtubs are the second leading location for drownings of young children?

There is no question that learning first aid can mean the difference between life and death for loved ones. Recent polling by the Canadian Red Cross shows that 58% of Canadians have indeed had to perform first aid in emergency situations, such as chocking, concussions, anaphylactic shock, or a cardiac emergency on a family member.

The polling was conducted to help raise awareness around the need for first aid in time for World First Aid Day on Sept. 8.

Here are some key stats from the polling:
• Nearly 98% of Canadians say knowing how to perform first aid is important but only 18% of Ontarians have taken a first aid course within the last three years
• Almost 70% of Canadians are confident they can recognize the signs of a life-threatening health emergency
• Less than half of those people believe they have the skills to provide basic First Aid in a health emergency 

Keeping your first aid training updated is important: the longer you go between trainings the easier it is to forget what you learned. Updated training ensures confidence, and the more confident you feel in administering first aid, the more likely you will be to use those skills.

For more information or to find a course near you, visit www.redcross.ca/firstaid.

I have 3 of the above fanny pack first aid kits to giveaway. Easy entry below

• leave a comment below telling me how you are prepared in case of emergency
• Follow  @redcrosscanada and @Gingermommy  on twitter (leave me your twitter name)
• tweet about this giveaway. Can be done 1x a day  “ENTER to #win a first aid kit from @RedCrossCanada for #firstaidday 3 winners Canada only via @Gingermommy http://      tinyurl.com/cvgj66v ” comment with the link to your tweet below

Good luck! Open to Canada only. 3 winners will be chosen using random.org and notified by email. You will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is selected.
Ends Sept 9th 2012 at 11:59pm