As responsible recreational boaters, we are encouraged to take a First Aid and a CPR course.
First aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person with either a minor or serious illness or injury, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to promote recovery. When on-the-water or dockside, injuries or sudden illnesses can occur. Being the ‘first’ person on the scene can help a person survive, recover and keep having a good time boating.
Knowing CPR is just the first step in saving a life. CPR can keep a person alive by circulating oxygenated blood to the brain and other critical organs. No one person can perform high-quality CPR for long before becoming exhausted. As a result, the quality of CPR deteriorates, the victim’s blood pressure drops, and the oxygenated blood flow drops to a point where it can no longer sustain life. More importantly, no matter how good the CPR provider is, CPR by itself will not restart a heart. Defibrillation is the only way an untrained bystander can restart a heart.
An Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) delivers a shock to a heart only when it detects erratic electrical activity that can be brought back to a normal rhythm. According to the American Heart Association, if a sudden cardiac arrest victim receives high-quality CPR and AED within four minutes of the attack, they have a 74% chance of survival. The chance of survival diminishes by 10% for each minute of delayed response.
The Houston Squadron offers four (3) levels of first aid courses (all of them included CPR and AED training):
First Aid for Mariners
Wilderness First Aid
Wilderness First Aid – Advanced
Learn more about our offerings on the website. These courses are open to any recreational boater.