First aid training for lifeguards

The staff of the First and Emergency Aid Program of the Cyprus International University Continuing Education Center (UKÜSEM) and CIU Health Services Vocational School carried out first aid training for lifeguards working at Güçver Water Sports Club.  

Kadir Çekiç, lecturer at CIU First and Emergency Aid Program, pointed out that they have been providing first aid training to various institutions and organizations since 2018, and said that their aim is to reduce the number of people in the country who do not know first aid and to eliminate incorrect first aid interventions.

Çekiç stated that the training they carried out for Güçver Water Sports Club continued for two days and that they had lifeguards perform one-on-one first aid interventions during the training.

Stating that they gave the participants special information about rescuing patients from water, Çekiç said, “We also provided training on how to rescue unconscious swimmers from water, the use of life-saving equipment and also acquainted them with emergency situations in water.”

Çekiç stated that there has been a significant increase in drowning cases in summertime, and for this reason, many citizens in the country have either been in danger of drowning or lost their lives.

Noting that it is of great importance for citizens to be careful when treating drowning cases especially during summertime, Çekiç said, “Although lifeguard and ambulance services work systematically, wrong first aid given to a drowning person or delayed first aid can unfortunately separate us from our beloved ones. For this reason, we attach great importance to first aid training.”

First Aid Trainer Paramedic Çekiç advised citizens to swim in beaches that are known to be safe and preferred by the public, saying, “You should not swim unfamiliar waters or deserted areas. Even if you know how to swim very well, prefer facilities that offer institutional services, and also beaches and pools with lifeguard service.”

In his speech, Çekiç drew attention to the fact that even if lifeguard candidates are trained, first aid training should be taken separately because a long time may have passed since their prior training or because rescuing the swimmer in distress from the water is of primary importance. He said, “In this context, we provided first aid training to our lifeguards with the joint project of UKÜSEM and our Health Sciences Vocational School Directorate and the trainer support of our Paramedic Program. The beaches of Cyprus are now safer with the highly qualified lifeguards.”