First Aid Classes

I became a first aid trainer in the early seventies. It was probably a mistake but was a natural off shoot of all of my water safety training. First aid was a big part of that training, too.

John Becker and I went to Burlington two nights a week for three weeks to take part in what was called Multi-Media First Aid. It got its name from the sound practice of having the participants view a video, read about the each technique, and then practice the technique. It was a very effective way to learn. We completed the course and were certified to train others.

The Henry County Red Cross bought all of the books and materials to teach the class. It was an Occupational Heath and Safety (OSHA) approved course and was required of all construction businesses that employed more than fours workers and all firemen and police officers. We were in great demand to teach the course!

The draw back to the whole thing was that we were volunteers and could not, because of Red Cross rules, take any payment for teaching the classes. John quit doing it after the first year, but I continued for some reason.

I taught two large groups from the local concrete company. The owner was very appreciative and kept wanting to give me something for doing it. I wanted a patio behind our house. I knew how to do the concrete and had friends who would help. The company provided the cement free of charge and we ended up with a nice large patio. Angie and Heather left their handprints in it near the southeast corner. I am sure they are still there.

I trained the Mt. Pleasant Police Department. That was a nice thing because it is always a good thing to be on good terms with the police. They handled the whole thing very seriously mostly, I think, because they had all been in many situations where they could put the training to good use. They always had valuable tips to share.

I trained some difficult groups of construction workers. They usually didn’t want to be there and didn’t even try to learn the material. There was an exam at the end and it wasn’t unusual to have a few of them fail. Then they were mad because they had to pass it. A couple of times I let them retake the test.

Once one of the course participants was drunk and very disruptive. His foreman was in the class and he made the guy leave during the break and he never came back. I suppose he lost his job but I really don’t know.

I taught a large group of the employees at the Rural Electric Association (REA), the Mental Health Institute (MHI), Metromail, and several other places. It was always interesting and enjoyable. I think I learned a lot during that time.

The most unusual group I taught was the nursing department at Iowa Wesleyan. College. I was really apprehensive about it because I didn’t feel qualified to teach nurses. They were very kind to me and said they really hadn’t had any real training in first aid. I don’t know if that was true or not but they were very nice about it. I learned a great deal from them in the process.