Date: 19. September 2025
Time to read: 1 min
Would you know how to help a passerby who collapses on the street and loses consciousness? Or your sister who has a severe allergic reaction at home? What about a friend who suddenly stops breathing while playing football? In moments like these, every second counts, and first aid knowledge saves lives. The biggest mistake is to do nothing. When we help, we give the injured or sick person at least a chance to survive.
First Aid Month in Slovenia
Every second Saturday in September since 2003, we have been celebrating World First Aid Day. This year's main topic is first aid and climate change, as first aid skills are invaluable in times of increasingly frequent weather disasters and the related heat waves, storms, floods and other extreme weather events.
In Slovenia, World First Aid Day also marks the beginning of First Aid Month, which will end on 16 October, World Resuscitation Day. During the First Aid Month, regional associations of the Slovenian Red Cross will organise numerous free events, presentations and workshops both for the youngest and the eldelry, as they wish to highlight the importance of lifelong first aid training again this year.
List of free events: Mesec prve pomoci 2025_pregled RKS OZ_celotna.xlsx
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The fate of an accident victim often depends on the actions of those present at the scene. Effective first aid requires proper knowledge. Photo: Slovenian Red Cross
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When was the last time you refreshed your first aid knowledge? Photo: Slovenian Red Cross
Throughout the year, the Slovenian Medical Students' Association organises free first aid refresher workshops as part of the Za življenje! (For Life!) project. In this way, they raise awareness among laypeople about the importance of providing immediate first aid, taking the right action in the event of cardiac arrest, stroke and other accidents, thereby reducing fear and concerns about the unknown.
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Proper first aid saves lives and helps prevent a person’s condition from getting worse. Photo: Depositphotos
Cardiac arrest outside of a hospital setting is the most common cause of death in developed countries. In the event of cardiac arrest, basic resuscitation procedures increase the chances of survival by two to four times. Without resuscitation, a person can die within ten minutes and irreversible brain damage can occur within three to five minutes.
"Our goal is to have a person trained in first aid in every home, school and work organisation," emphasise the staff in the Slovenian Red Cross.
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Basic life support is performed on a person who is unresponsive, not breathing, or breathing abnormally, and shows no signs of movement. Photo: Depositphotos
Resuscitation procedure
1. Before approaching an injured person, ensure the environment is safe for you.
2. Check for responsiveness (shake the injured person by the shoulders and speak loudly). If there is no response, shout: Help!
3. Open the airway (place one hand on the forehead, the fingers of the other hand under the chin and tilt the head back as far as possible).
4. Check for breathing (listen and watch for 10 seconds).
5. Call for emergency medical assistance. 112 is the single European emergency call number.
6. Send someone to get an AED. Do not leave the patient alone.
7. Begin chest compressions (in the middle of the chest, 5 cm deep, at a rate of 100–120 compressions per minute).
8. As soon as you get the automated external defibrillator, turn it on and attach the electrodes to the bare chest.
9. Listen to the instructions of the automated external defibrillator and continue with basic resuscitation procedures until the paramedics arrive.
