Training on first aid

It has been a longstanding personal goal to learn to give first aid and this has eventually come to fruition with support from a local NGO Asociatia React and enthusiastic volunteers at SMURD Bucharest, the special unit within the municipal fire brigade.

I was very pleased to hear that SMURD, an almost iconic institution with a large outreach all across Romania, has joined this initiative. On one hand, SMURD has been set up including with support from the UK, specifically the Emergency Service of the Royal Edinburgh Hospital and the Strathclyde Fire Brigade in Glasgow. Secondly, the founder of SMURD, doctor Raed Arafat, was the guest of honour at this year’s event hosted by the British Embassy to mark the birthday of Queen Elizabeth II and to celebrate CSR programmes undertaken by British companies in Romania.

Asociatia React was the surprise element for me: a relatively young yet very active NGO that offers this training for free to members of the public. So I became one of the lucky recipients of a first aid introductory module and learned how to respond in the case of cardio-respiratory arrest and to help release obstructed airways. A very intense yet rewarding first session! I have only praise for this initiative and welcome the support that Vodafone Romania is providing so that the campaign can carry on in Bucharest and in other cities.