First aid & bitching about the weather

[bee_york]

I've always wanted to learn first aid, CPR and all that stuff, but I gotta start with the basics, like the Heimlich maneuver. I took a baby-sitting course when I was 12 where we learned some of that stuff, but that might as well have been a different lifetime. I don't remember a thing. I couldn't even tell you what the first step of the Heimlich is. Well, I know you go BEHIND the person. But after that, I'm clueless. Do you squeeze their ribs? Their stomach? I can't remember. And I know it's different with children, and different AGAIN with babies, in some way.
Anyway, yeah...that's how clueless I am. So when I say I need a basic first aid course, I most certainly do mean BASIC. XD
I'm asking around on Facebook and even on montreal in hopes that someone can offer me a personal recommendation for a class, as opposed to just googling a random website for a random course in some random part of the city. I live downtown, so there has GOT to be something very central around here that I can walk to. A friend pointed me to a course in St-Laurent, which is insanely far away. (For non-Montrealers reading this, that's about an hour away by metro AND bus...there's no direct way of getting there from downtown, really.) I found a website for a course in TMR, which is still pretty darn far. There's GOT to be something around here...

It's such a drab rainy day today. I still gotta force myself to go on at least one walk today, whether I like it or not, if not two. Blaaaah. One of the great things about Montreal is that you can totally go for really long walks underground and never have to go outside, and still get a good workout that way. But I don't want to do that just yet. It's too early in the year for that now. I'm gonna have to be doing that all winter long, so I might as well go outside. The rain isn't too bad, and my hair's already wet anyway (just washed it, lol) so it's not like it will really make a difference anyway.
Blah, winter. I don't want it to come. 30 years of living in this city, and I don't think I can take it anymore. Last winter was exceptionally long, it was really abnormally long, even for Montreal. I genuinely can't remember the last time we had a winter like last year's. It started so early and snowed SO DAMN MUCH. I can't deal with the thought of winter coming back already. It's really like a certain version of hell. I don't want it, I really, really, really, really don't want it....

Comments

[sarcasmoqueen.livejournal.com]

Sorry if someone already suggested it, but did you try the Y on Drummond just above Ste Catherine? I'm sure they have courses, and I belonged there many moons ago and they are pretty good.

[bee-york.livejournal.com]

Hey, good point! I didn't even think of that. Thanks for the suggestion!

[dzuunmod.livejournal.com]

http://www.mcgillfirstaidservice.org/
They offer English courses in the Shatner Building on McTavish. There's one that runs over two Sundays - this one (the 13th) and next Sunday.

http://www.impactsante.ca/calendrier/
They offer them in French further east on the Plateau - St. Joseph and Iberville, basically.

I found them by going here (https://apaccess.redcross.ca/coursemanager/coursesearch.aspx?lang=E) and entering my postal code from when I lived on the Plateau. (You have click all three tabs at the top and select options for each before it'll let you search though. If you just stick a postal code in and click 'search', it'll tell you to pick a course type.)

[bee-york.livejournal.com]

Ahhh that's awesome! The Shatner building is less than a 10-minute walk from here, too. Thanks so much!!!

[dzuunmod.livejournal.com]

Also - it sounds like the course that you want is the Standard Level Red Cross first aid course. It's the one I took up here in September (and these things are uniform across the country, so you'd be getting the exact same course I got if you took it). It covered the Heimlich maneuver.

[bee-york.livejournal.com]

I had no idea you took a first aid course! That's awesome!

Thank you very much for the info. :)

[dzuunmod.livejournal.com]

I was lucky enough to have it approved as overtime for work. :)

[bee-york.livejournal.com]

Niiiiiiiiiice! :D

[rilms.livejournal.com]

I have done so many first aid courses (both standard and advanced)

I've always gone with Red Cross or Saint John's Ambulance. But, as long as you learn the skills!!

The courses are generally good for three years :)

[rilms.livejournal.com]

Also, just so you know. In my most recent SJA course, we went over:

Emergency scene management
Shock, unconsciousness, fainting
Choking - Adult, Youth, Child
Cardiovascular emergencies & One-person CPR
Severe Bleeding
Medical conditions (diabetes, convulsions, asthma, allergies)
Child resuscitation
Infant resuscitation
Two-person CPR
Bone and joint injuries
Head/spinal and pelvic injuries
Wound care
Rescue carries
Eye injuries
Burns
Poison, bites, stings
Heat and cold emergencies
AED training

[bee-york.livejournal.com]

Haha! When I was writing this post, I figured you'd totally have something to say, considering how well-versed you are in first aid and emergency response, etc. :)

[bee-york.livejournal.com]

Cool! You're definitely not the first person to mention Saint John's Ambulance, so I bet they're really great.

Thanks for the comment! :)