iPods® for First Aid by Chuck

Answer YES or NO to the following questions:

1 Have you ever taken a First Aid Training Course?

2 Have you ever had to use your knowledge of First Aid in an emergency situation?

3 Do you own an iPod®?

In your mind you are probably asking What does an iPod® have to do with first aid? Well, if you are like most people, you have probably taken one or more first aid courses. You have also, fortunately, never had to use the first aid knowledge and skills acquired in order to save a life. Finally, unless you work in a profession where the chances of having to use first aid are high and you are required to continually review first aid procedures, it is more than likely that you are unsure as to whether you could remember what to do in an emergency situation. Here is where the iPod® comes in.

iPods® are rapidly becoming very popular due to their small size, easy portability, high quality output and the very large quantities of music and other files that can be stored on them. As the price continues to fall and the amount and variety of music and other files increases more and more people will acquire and use them. Let's face it, we need something to do while we wait in line at the Motor Vehicle Dept., the doctor's office, the dentist's office, the airport, etc.

So, we have need to have immediate access to First Aid information but, as chance of our having to use the information is, fortunately, very slim, it is not practical to lug a first aid manual with us. Enter the iPod®. It is light, portable and becoming a must have gadget to carry with us. Why not use a small amount of vast storage capacity of the iPod® to store basic first aid information?

This is exactly what an outfit called FIRSTAIDPOD.COM has done. If you go to their website at http://www.firstaidpod.com/ you will find free downloads of podcast first aid information along with free first aid eBook downloads.

Obviously, and the site makes this very clear, the podcast and eBook downloads are NOT substitutes for first aid training which is usually available free from the local Red Cross and other agencies as well as from employers as part of their professional development training. They are also not a substitute for common sense. If another person at the scene has more training than you have then stand back and loan them your iPod®.

But, on the off chance that you encounter a situation where you have to administer first aid, having information at your fingertips via your iPod® to supplement what you remember from training could be of great help to you and a benefit to the victim.