A great article published on the blog Kilmer House: The Story of Johnson & Johnson, reveals that the original First Aid Kit was invented in 1888 for men working on Railroads. Railway work was one of the most dangerous jobs of the time, and before the first kit, when there was an injury, a man would have to run to the nearest town and find a doctor, which could take hours if not days.

The short answer is yes, you can be sued for doing first aid on someone. However, the likelihood of that happening is very low. In British Columbia, we have the Good Samaritan Act. There are similar acts in every province, but I will speak to the one in BC as that is where we do most of our first aid training.

At the end of the day, your level of confidence will correspond with your level of training and how you were trained. As first aid is a physical skill, it is very important to practice, which is why we spend the majority of our first aid courses doing hands-on skill practice or realistic emergency scenarios.

When you look at CPR being done, especially when you’re seeing it for the first time, it can be very graphic. Consider that someone is pressing down on your chest more than 6 cm – of course that is going to cause some damage! It is reasonable to think that you are going to hurt a person.

Rib fractures can occur when doing CPR chest compressions. It does not happen all the time, in all situations, and is not necessarily something the first aider is trying to do. As long as the person doing CPR is compressing one half to one third of the person’s chest depth (or at least 2 inches on an adult), the CPR is effective.

Not having a first aid kit handy in an emergency is a very common occurrence. There are plenty of things you can use to improvise, depending on the emergency – check out this blog post to learn more!

CPR, especially if administered immediately after cardiac arrest, can double or triple a person’s chance of survival. About 90% of people who experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest die.

Smelling burnt toast (or rubber) is a symptom linked to brain tumors, and can be a symptom of a stroke or seizure as well. The medical term for imaginary odours is ‘phantosmia’. Regardless of what is causing olfactory hallucinations, it is important to call 911 and give first aid for the signs and symptoms you are seeing.

If you are alone with an adult and they are not breathing it is best to leave an call 911. If you are alone with a child or infant and they are not breathing give them one minute of CPR then go call 911.

A First Aid Kit is not only for emergencies or large wounds. You can use your first aid kit for something as small as a paper cut. In these scenarios, the bandages and antibiotic wipes will come in handy. A First Aid Kit is a place to keep and organize anything that could help you in any given medical situation. It is good to familiarize yourself with the contents and their uses, no matter how small. Keeping all first aid supplies in one place also helps children learn where they can find the things that will help them in case of an emergency without parental supervision.