Why You Should Take A First Aid Course Before Going On Vacation

The Benefits of Pre-Vacation First Aid Training

The prospect of jumping on a plane and flying to the tropics is one often filled with excitement. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn’t enjoy sitting on a beach, with a drink in hand and the sun in the sky. This is especially true for Canadians, at this time of year. With colder temperatures inevitable, a destination getaway is ideal. It’s vital, however, that would-be travellers prepare for emergency situations.

Have you ever taken a first aid course? If you have any upcoming travel plans, now would be the best time to do so. Red Cross offers a Standard First Aid & CPR course which offers a ton of valuable insight on wound care; head and spine injuries; bone, muscle and joint injuries; and environmental emergencies, just to name a few. Let’s delve deeper into why you should take a first aid course before going on vacation.

You’ll learn how to stock a good first aid kit.

Travelling with a first aid kit is essential. But what are the mandatory elements of a good first aid kit? The Red Cross recommends that all first aid kits for a family of four include such items as two absorbent compress dressings (5 x 9 inches), 25 adhesive bandages (in assorted sizes) and one adhesive cloth tape (10 yards x 1 inch). Kits should also include sterile gauze pads and an oral thermometer.

First Aid Kit

As well, a proper first aid kit is stocked with five antibiotic ointment packets (approximately one gram), five antiseptic wipe packets, two packets of aspirin (81 mg each), one emergency blanket, one breathing barrier (with one-way valve), one instant cold compress, two large pairs of non-latex gloves, two hydrocortisone ointment packets (approximately 1 gram each), one 3 inch gauze roll (roller) bandage and one roller bandage (4 inches wide).

You’ll learn how to care for a wound.

How to Care for a Wound

Accidents happen. If you’re in the know about how to correctly treat a wound, you will be able to prevent a very expensive foreign hospital bill. Rapid wound care intervention is necessary for even the smallest of cuts. While on vacation, the last thing you want is to develop an infection.

You’ll learn how to treat jelly fish and other aquatic animal stings.

There is a common misconception that the solution to the pain, redness, rash and swelling caused by a jellyfish sting is to have someone urinate on the affected area. Allow us to dispel the myth that pee is the solution. By taking a first aid course, you’ll discover that vinegar is one ideal alternative.

A family at a beach

“Wash the area with vinegar for at least 30 seconds,” explains the Canadian Red Cross, “If vinegar isn’t available, use a mixture of baking soda and water (to make a consistency like toothpaste) and leave it on the area for 20 minutes. Then immerse the affected area in hot water (as tolerated) for 20 minutes or as long as the pain persists. Do not rub the area.”

You’ll learn how to manage diabetic emergencies.

A person conducting a blood sugar level test

Do you tend to “eat, drink and be merry” during your vacations? Join the club. Indulging is a common “I’m on a trip” activity. However, it’s important to be mindful that such indulgences can throw off a person’s blood sugar. Your liver breaks down alcohol by releasing glucose. This can cause sugar levels to drop, inducing hypoglycaemia. Often, an ideal solution is to give the diabetic individual a sugary drink or sweet food. Ideally, glucose gel or tablets would be taken.

There is so much more to learn! SOS First Aid offers several First Aid and CPR training courses. To learn all about them, please don’t hesitate to call us at 905-844-9813. You may also email us at [email protected].

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Contact

SOS First Aid and Safety Training services the following Southern Ontario communities: Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Mississauga, Oakville, Burlington, Milton, Guelph, Vaughan, Woodbridge, Maple, Richmond Hill, Brampton, Acton, Georgetown, Hamilton, Ancaster, Brantford, Stoney Creek, St. Catherines, and Welland.

Customer Reviews

Maysaa Mueen
Maysaa Mueen
Mario is an excellent instructor.
Veronica Inaibagha
Veronica Inaibagha
I am happy being lucky to have this course with a great instructor Patty Turnbull. She is very knowledgeable and efficient, her accent is very clear , she is talented to educate in a way to keep us attentive without feeling board although it is a long day. Thank you Patty. Thank you SOS
Louris Girgues
Louris Girgues
Patty was a great instructor, very easy to follow and just as easy to talk to about any questions to clarify.
Avocado Ception
Avocado Ception
Benson Amihere
Benson Amihere
Prakash was our trainer who made this training fun and dispensed a lot of information with examples. Prakash converted complex information into easy digestible information without overwhelming us. There was not a single dull moment in the entire training and Prakash covered every aspect of first-aid/CPR in timely manner. He's passionate, well organized, very engaging and humorous. Thank you, Prakash.
Kulwant Singh
Kulwant Singh
Peggy was excellent.
Tristan Wiggins
Tristan Wiggins
Training is good and more hands on with real life examples.
Viralkumar Rathod
Viralkumar Rathod
Peggy was an excellent instructor for the First Aid and CPR training. Her knowledge and teaching style made the course informative and engaging.
Zee Shan
Zee Shan
I completed my BLS and standard first aid training with Julie, and it was an amazing experience. Julie's professionalism, knowledge, and helpfulness created a safe and enjoyable learning environment. Her contagious laughter made the entire experience even more enjoyable. It was a pleasure having her as my instructor.
Soleil Smith
Soleil Smith
Patty Turnbull was a wonderful teacher and took time to help us, and go through the material thank you Patty!
Omar Khan
Omar Khan
Patty was amazing
David Kerrigan
David Kerrigan
Prachir Pasricha
Prachir Pasricha
Sakshi
Sakshi
Had a wonderful great session on First aid with Patty Turnbull. The class was very insightful and blended with great sense of humour to keep the audience active and attentive. Absolutely loved the experience.
Surya Ram
Surya Ram
Patty was very funny and the information provided was clear. She demonstrated every method and gave us tips on how to improve.
Charlin Osei
Charlin Osei
Patty Turnbull did a fantastic job with the course. Thank you
Jesse Dwyer
Jesse Dwyer
Has a great training session. Our instructor Patty was great at explaining the material, what to look out for and how best to help the person. She equipped us well in providing CPR and using AED.Thank you for a great session!!
Smit Chotai
Smit Chotai
Great experience. Instructor Mario Sacco was interactive and made it an enjoyable experience.
Amr Abdalla
Amr Abdalla
Sukhdeep Kaur
Sukhdeep Kaur
Excellent experience. Instructor Mario is funny and very good Instructor.
Asima Sultana
Asima Sultana
Easy to understand and great humour. Will be back in 2 years!
Mayou Stoddart
Mayou Stoddart
Such a sweet man, funny guy.
Dania
Dania
Prabh Gill
Prabh Gill
I am very happy to be here and study with Mario. He is very nice person and he helped us mask fit very seriously and he was very dedicated. I learned a lot of knowledge about mask knowledge and skills. Thanks Mario, thanks the Red Cross.
Enqi Huang
Enqi Huang
Kamani Sirisena
Kamani Sirisena
Session was delivered professionally.
M Y
M Y
Thank you Prakash for an awesome class. I didnt think I wouldnt learn so much more from the class today, my class was able to get lots of misconceptions clarified. You challenged us with critical scenarios and made us think. From my past experience , I think first aid class would be boring but for the first time at the SOS first aid centre, I’m very happy with the instructor. Highly recommend!
Natalie Le
Natalie Le
I just wanted to say thank you very much to Patty for being a great and wonderful instructor. For making us understand the material thoroughly and clearly. And most of all for being patient with us. If I need to do another course that they offer, I would definitely do it here and highly recommend it for everyone. Thanks again Patty and SOS First Aid and Safety Training
Jake Ilyas Qureshi
Jake Ilyas Qureshi
Patty was great! Very informative and patient
Faisa S
Faisa S
i did bls and first aid training here with patty. she was such a good teacher/instructor. she was very helpful, funny, and engaging she gives a lot of stories which help us remember important details. it was a really fun and informative class. i wish the best for mrs patty!!!
tierra cab
tierra cab
khadija gaouzi
khadija gaouzi
Patty was great!
Leanne
Leanne
Solomon Cusi
Solomon Cusi
I had patty for my instructor and she was so good!! She explained everything in a clear and concise manner. It was overall a fun two days in class with her!!😄
Shakali Martin
Shakali Martin
I am really impressed by the teaching method of Mr. Prakash nagar.
Himanshu
Himanshu
It was an amazing experience! Prakash Nagar is having great knowledge with First Aid & CPR. He clarified clearly when to administer CPR, AED which was a bit confusing for me when I did the reading online.
Dharmesh Patel
Dharmesh Patel
Vineeta Lekhram
Vineeta Lekhram
Thao Nguyen
Thao Nguyen
Every aspect was taken and explains properly
Olga Ezcurra
Olga Ezcurra
The instructors were very nice and informative. They gave great feedback throughout the whole process
Naomi McDonald
Naomi McDonald
Instruction was clear and the instructor ensured that all questions and concerns were addressed appropriately. Highly recommend!
Jacob Waddell (jcwaddell)
Jacob Waddell (jcwaddell)
It was good and entertaining as well.☺️
Nisha 120991
Nisha 120991
Patty is an amazing instructor. She explain all the materials in a very effective manner. I liked her teaching skills.
Raman Kamboj
Raman Kamboj
Patty is a very nice woman and her as an instructor is fantastic! Was such a nice experience.Thanks 😊
Sadaf Raza
Sadaf Raza
Seriously...Patty is such a gem of a woman and her as an instructor is fantastic! Was such a lovely experience! Hopefully I get her for my RE-certification again next time!
Raven Feldman
Raven Feldman
Great instruction and easily accessible location with ample parking.
Sasha M
Sasha M
Katey Hamilton
Katey Hamilton
Catherine G. Dela Cruz
Catherine G. Dela Cruz
Had a great class with Dr. Prakash. He is super knowledgable! I will recert with SOS next year.
Beonca Luk
Beonca Luk
Patty is an amazing instructor. I had a fun & educational experience.
h w
h w
Fantastic lecturer and is very precise about the whole training.
Ray Arnold
Ray Arnold
Patty is an amazing instructor. She explains all the materials thoroughly.
Keerthana Neethirasa
Keerthana Neethirasa
Patty is one of the best instructors I've had, she's super nice and fun and always ensuring everybody is on track and performing well. She made the class fun and go by quick
dema alnakeeb
dema alnakeeb
Ranya Salih
Ranya Salih
It was a great experience
Jemimah Robin
Jemimah Robin
Mario was awesome! Detailed, quick, and friendly instructor.
Julian Salvador
Julian Salvador
Mario is Very knowledgeable!Highly recommend!
Nida Javaid
Nida Javaid
Mario was a pleasant teacher that was patient and humorous.
A_Stumble
A_Stumble
Mario was very knowledgeable, humorous and efficient with the process. Highly recommend him for anyone!
S T
S T
Miranda Ko
Miranda Ko
Instructor Ally, was absolutely phenomenal. The classroom environment was excellent, and Ally made sure everyone understood what was being taught. Thank you for your teachings
Ashley Amaral
Ashley Amaral
Very great teaching by Ally
Omobolanle Adebayo-Oyeyipo
Omobolanle Adebayo-Oyeyipo
Amazing instructor, made the day seamless and interesting with great examples and information. Thank you Ally Sommer
Suzie Catarino
Suzie Catarino
Very nice and interacting session with Prakash, I really dont know about Israel been the only country using the Red Crystal symbol, but today I know.
segun joseph
segun joseph
I was really pleased with learning about the the priority in the impalement and CPR. It was something I didn’t know before and I feel that’s extremely important. Also the instructor was fantastic.
James Proulx
James Proulx
i didn’t know that peeing on a jellyfish sting was actually the right thing to do
Niall Harris
Niall Harris
Absolutely loved both instructorsDr.Prakash and Patty Turnbull.Both instructors showed their passion and dedication through their lectures and teaching. Everyone participated and had fun while learning. I would recommend them both.
Tisha s
Tisha s
The Instructors were very thorough with the course. Really learned a lot.
Ehsan Ahmad
Ehsan Ahmad
Vanessa Tran
Vanessa Tran
Very good information and very helpful
david luu
david luu
Patty was engaging, good at explaining things and open to feedback
amber elley
amber elley
Patty was a great instructor. Pace of the course and hands on instruction were very good.
Jim Koitsopoulos
Jim Koitsopoulos
This is an awesome experience different mask fitting I had before.
PVM PVM
PVM PVM
Alyssa Viozzi
Alyssa Viozzi
Great session!
Latifa Latifa
Latifa Latifa
The teacher was friendly and taught me well, teaching me things from misconceptions about First Aid to vital practices.
Maxwell Thornton
Maxwell Thornton
Really fun and I learned a lot. It was very interactive.Something I would have preferred, as we are learning the ABC’s is give us time to make sure we are doing it properly before asking us to do it quickly. I felt a lot of pressure trying to do it quickly that I was missing proper steps.
Jennifer Lam
Jennifer Lam
I had a great experience. My instructor (Prakash) made sure that we understood all the concepts and we did a lot of hands-on training as well. This session cleared up a lot of confusions in my mind, and left me feeling more confident about how to respond in an emergency.
Mehroo Siddiqui
Mehroo Siddiqui
Debbie was an excellent instructor! She taught the course in a systematic way and made it easy to get through.
Hitesh Sharma Burgus
Hitesh Sharma Burgus
Ajay Ramoutar
Ajay Ramoutar
I have been using SOS First aid and Safety Training for my first aid qualifications. This year, I renewed my BLS. Patty and the team have been professional and knowledgeable, with an emphasis on practical application. I refer all coworkers to SOS and would recommend anyone looking for first aid to come here.
Daniel Tyrrell
Daniel Tyrrell
sharnjeet sandhu
sharnjeet sandhu
Things I learned that I didn't know before- You can get anaphylaxis from a bee sting.- How to apply slings (because previously I got certification during covid there was social distancing, and we only watched on a video).- A lot of things that you see on television may be false or misconceptions. For example, amputated limbs do not go inside ice but it has to be wrapped up in a gauze. It is labeled and then put inside an ice bag.
Teresa Mai
Teresa Mai
Park Great instructor and great class. Learned so many new things
fadi haddad
fadi haddad
Allie was outstanding 👏 Thank you
Liz Grilo
Liz Grilo
It was really good experience
Jagjit Sandhu
Jagjit Sandhu
Patty is the best, she was very funny and her methods of teaching helped me understand the demonstrations and lessons properly.
Mia :D
Mia :D
Patty was an excellent teacher. She really explained all the concepts in a way that was easy to understand.
Allayah McKoy
Allayah McKoy
Patty did an amazing job! Very knowledgeable and taught the course info in an enjoyable way
Nicole Karunaratna
Nicole Karunaratna
Patty was an excellent teacher, would love to have her again!
Ebenezer Acquah
Ebenezer Acquah
Patty was an excellent teacher, very clear and thorough!
Miranda McGee
Miranda McGee
Very knowledgeable instructor. Great on time management and communication
Peris Wachira
Peris Wachira
Claire van Baardwijk
Claire van Baardwijk
Thorough BLS training by Patty! Great teaching and opportunities for questions. Team work to practice hands on skills :)
Anjali Nowbutt
Anjali Nowbutt
Allyson was amazing!! Learned so much and had a great time doing it. Thank you!
Maddy Bere
Maddy Bere
Viola was an excellent instructor! She taught the course in a way to make it very interesting and she was helpful and lighthearted throughout the time! Would definitely recommend !!
tania revilla
tania revilla
I had my recertification course with Viola and I have never had a better experience taking a CPR course. She teaches it in a way that’ll have you interested in the information while making it stick in your mind. Thank you Viola :)
Basmala Heba
Basmala Heba
Viola was very helpful and informative. She conveyed the information in a way that we could remember and made sure we we’re paying attention and retaining information by asking us questions throughout the session.
Nadi Ay
Nadi Ay
the training was informative and fun! Viola is amazing :-)
Kaitlin Delos Reyes
Kaitlin Delos Reyes

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