The United States Army

10/22/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 10/22/2024 00:16

U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden trains first responders – Making the garrison safer!

[Link] Yasmin Baier, gardener at USAG Wiesbaden's Department of Public Works, received two- second pressure compressions for training purposes.

(U.S. Army photo by Roland Schedel, U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden Public Affairs) (Photo Credit: Roland Schedel)VIEW ORIGINAL

WIESBADEN, GERMANY - This past September, the U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden organized and conducted first aid training in cooperation with the Red Cross Wiesbaden. USAG Wiesbaden biennially trains or refreshes the knowledge of about 200 first responders in approximately 17 courses.

The German Occupational Safety and Health Act requires that 5% of the local national workforce in administrative and commercial enterprises, where the U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden is classified, be certified as first responders.

According to Hartwig Knorr, a safety specialist in the garrison's Safety Office, "First aid training consists of a first aid course. To remain a first responder, you have to take a refresher course at least every two years. The costs are even covered by German accident insurance."

The effort is worthwhile because these first responders are the people who can provide first aid to accident victims before the paramedics or emergency services arrive. Whether it's a hornet sting at the CDC, a gardener who falls off a ladder while trimming trees, or a traffic accident.

[Link] 1 / 2Show Caption +Hide Caption -Picture 1

Every two years, USAG Wiesbaden trains or refreshes the knowledge of about 200 first responders in about 17 courses. The effort is worthwhile because these first responders are the people who can provide first aid to accident victims before the paramedics or emergency services arrive. The German Occupational Safety and Health Act requires that 5% of the local national workforce in administrative and commercial enterprises, where the U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden is classified, be certified as first responders.

(U.S. Army photo by Roland Schedel, U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden Public Affairs) (Photo Credit: Roland Schedel)VIEW ORIGINAL[Link] 2 / 2Show Caption +Hide Caption -Richard Stenzhorn (middle, in white polo) has been giving first aid courses for the U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden for years. You can call him "Mr. First Aid" without a guilty conscience. He has been a volunteer for the Red Cross for more than 60 years. During this timeframe he has trained over 128,000 people in first aid.

Here Thomas Schulze (left), Workforce Development Program Manager at USAG Wiesbaden, is learning how to how to remove the helmet of a motorcyclist who has had an accident as gently as possible.

(U.S. Army photo by Roland Schedel, U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden Public Affairs) (Photo Credit: Roland Schedel)VIEW ORIGINAL

How long does the training take and what does it involve?

The training consists of a theoretical and a practical part. In total, there are nine teaching units, each lasting 45 minutes. In the practical part, participants learn, among other things:

  • how to secure the scene of an accident
  • how to make an emergency call correctly
  • how to carry out a rescue from a danger zone
  • wounds and injuries are treated
  • immediate measures such as the recovery position and cardiopulmonary resuscitation
  • how to deal with joint injuries, broken bones, heat and cold injuries, burns, chemical burns and poisoning

All in all, this training makes the garrison safer. And you - do you know what information to include in an emergency call?

  • Where - has something happened?
  • What - happened?
  • How many - people involved?
  • What - injuries?
  • Wait - for possible additional questions!