When I teach First Aid or CPR, the first American Red
Cross mantra you learn is “Check, Call, Care.”
You Check the scene for safety, Call 911 if it seems necessary, then
provide Care. It all seems so simple and
logical in the classroom. But for all
that seems to make sense, the reality is that the compassionate urge in us to
save others often overrides that sensibility.
Humanity cries out in pain and we respond, often forgetting about what
is most important – ourselves.
Tragically, this very scenario played out a few days ago
in Los Angeles. On August 22, a car lost
control and hit a light pole, then knocked off a fire hydrant. The injured driver was in the car when he was
spotted by a woman witnessing the event.
Without hesitating, her husband said, the Los Angeles resident hopped
out of her car to help him. Not
realizing the situation involved the electricity, she was died immediately as
she stepped in the electrified water to rescue the driver. To compound the tragedy, a second woman was
also electrocuted while trying to pull the first rescuer to safety. (1)
Stories such as this are extraordinarily sad. Here is someone trying to do the right thing,
extending a hand to someone in need, then paying dearly for that self-less
act. This is not something that happens
only to the untrained, either. Records
show that even highly trained rescuers can succumb to this irresistible urge. Two years ago in New York, one volunteer
fireman collapsed in a manhole when another volunteer fireman noticed and went
in to rescue him. Both men died from
suffocation. (2)
We learn and we prepare, but we also need to remind
ourselves that our most important asset is ourselves. Be prepared and be ready to act. Just make sure the first life you save is
your own. Only then, can you help others.
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