How a First Aid Level 1 Course Changed the Way I Think About Emergencies

I’ll admit it—before I took the First Aid Level 1 course , I always assumed that emergencies were “someone else’s problem.” I mean, paramedics exist for a reason, right? But something shifted after an incident in my apartment building. An elderly neighbor slipped in the hallway and hit her head. I stood there, frozen. No idea what to do. I wasn’t alone, either—there were four of us, and not one knew how to properly help. That moment stuck with me, and within a week, I signed up for a First Aid Level 1 course . What I thought would be a box-ticking exercise turned out to be one of the most empowering experiences I’ve had in a long time. What It Actually Teaches You We think first aid is just about CPR or bandages, but it’s so much more than that. The course walked us through real-world situations—choking, severe bleeding, fainting, burns, seizures—and not just the medical response, but also how to stay calm and make decisions quickly. The instructor even acted ou...