Medical emergencies are common, but first aid knowledge is not. When you only have ten minutes to save a life, every second counts. So when there’s an emergency in the barangay, who are you going to call? 

To address this problem, the Lakaran Institute facilitated First Aid and Basic Life Support Training in five barangays in collaboration with the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Offices (MDRRMO) of New Lucena (NLERT) and Santa Barbara (ALERTO). Sir Bobby Santiago and Sir Japhet Somogod led the training in Santa Barbara; Sir Kristofer Hylly Biaes took charge in New Lucena.

The five barangays – Balabag and Bilidan in New Lucena, and Cadagmayan Sur, Balibagan Oeste, and Sangcate in Santa Barbara– held these trainings to equip their Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils (BDRRMCs) with basic first-aid knowledge. The BDRRMC is composed of barangay officials, barangay volunteers, and CSO members. As first responders in the barangay, they are the first to provide aid. 

Members of the BDRRMC learned how to bandage wounds, splint broken bones, do the Heimlich maneuver and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and administer medical aid in various medical emergencies, like strokes, fevers, heart attacks, allergies, and hypoglycemia. 

Aside from first aid and basic life support, members of the BDRRMC also learned the responsibilities and characteristics of a good first responder, as well as the emergency action principle and protocols. Both Sir Bobby and Sir Christophe highlighted the importance of keeping cool under pressure. “When you panic, your patient also panics. You also tend to forget certain things when you panic, so it’s better to keep calm,” Sir Bobby advised. 

As added preparation, the MDRRMO gave area-specific training. Sangcate received extra training on drowning-related incidents because the barangay is beside the Tigum River. Balabag had fire emergency training after a series of fires broke out in the area, and Balibagan Oeste learned to treat sports-related injuries to prepare for their inter-barangay basketball tournament. Cadagmayan Sur had a short lecture on earthquake preparedness, while Bilidan had a lecture on heat-induced illnesses for the summer. 

At the end of the training, ALERTO and NLERT officers encouraged participants. As Sir Kristofer said, “Do not worry if your technique is not perfect. Remember, some first aid is better than none at all.”