First aid courses are increasingly being offered in primary schools, recognising the critical importance of swift intervention in emergencies.
Jeff Herr, instructor at herrjeff.lu, explains that emergency services will not arrive within the first minutes, following an accident or medical emergency, and "those are incredibly valuable minutes when we can really help the patient and make a difference to their health and safety. That is why the role of a first responder is so important – to bridge the gap between an emergency and the arrival of the ambulance.”
This year, the school in Steinfort offered these courses for the first time. Sammy Wagener, Mayor of Steinfort, says that students receive an initial introduction to first aid in Cycle 3.2, followed by eight hours each in cycles 4.1 and 4.2. In total, children complete sixteen hours of first aid training before they move on to secondary school in Luxembourg City.
Although the content of the first aid class is the same as the one taught to adults, teaching methods are adapted to suit younger learners.
Herr explains that working with children has some advantages. One aspect that he appreciates in particular is that children ask fewer questions than adults. "For example, if we explain that a person who is unresponsive and not breathing needs to be resuscitated, and then we hand a child a training dummy, the child immediately starts CPR. An adult, on the other hand, might worry about breaking a rib or hesitate because of uncertainty. Children act much faster, which is vital in a real emergency when every second counts.”
The children in Steinfort have certainly been enthusiastic about the course, and learned a great deal. They will receive their certificates on 10 July, demonstrating their readiness to help someone in need should the situation arise.
