A heart attack is a frightening experience. If you have experienced a heart attack, or are close with someone who has, you should know this: You are not alone. In fact, tens of thousands of people survive heart attacks and go on to lead productive, enjoyable lives. 

As you work toward recovery, the frequently asked questions below can help you better understand what has happened, and how your heart can heal. Knowledge is power. Arming yourself with this information can help you can live a healthier, longer life.

The First Aid classes at OC Safety addresses the use of tourniquets in cases of severe bleeding that pressure alone cannot stop.

We also indicate that the use of a tourniquet by untrained rescuers can easily result in more harm than good. The use of tourniquets has a bit of a spotty history, in that there are many opinions as to their efficacy, some using no more than anecdotal evidence. We’ll take a look at the related issues in this post, but keep one overriding fact in mind – you should never try to use a tourniquet to control severe bleeding until after first attempting targeted direct pressure. Most bleeding can be stopped very well by this method alone, even bleeding that is coming from a large vein or artery. Given enough time, the bleeding will usually stop. Uncontrolled bleeding is one of the most preventable causes of death, so there may indeed be occasions where proper use of a tourniquet can save the life of a bleeding victim.

Who Should Be CPR Certified?

At OC Safety, we're proud to offer comprehensive safety training courses ranging from Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) Certification to basic First Aid training to people throughout Orange County, CA. One of our most popular course offerings is CPR certification. CPR certification is useful to everyone - from members of the general public to professionals in a wide range of industries. Many professions require CPR certification. However, but even if your job doesn’t, it’s important to be well-acquainted with the life-saving techniques of CPR so that you are ready to take action should a family member, friend, or stranger be affected by an emergency situation.

Professions That Benefit from CPR Certification?

Wondering if you should get certified in CPR? Here's a list of a few professions that can benefit from CPR certification, even it it may may not be a requirement:

There are many types of seizures that can affect the entire brain or certain parts of it, causing a wide range of symptoms from loss of consciousness and minor twitching to violent convulsions. The type of seizure that most people are familiar with are known as tonic-clonic seizures, where the person falls down and begins shaking aggressively until the seizure subsides. This is one of the few types of seizures that are classified as major seizures, and knowing how to respond when you notice someone having a seizure can help save their life.

At OC Safety, we help people make a difference in their community, providing them with the skills and knowledge they need to be able to respond quickly and correctly in the event of emergency to protect those around them, whether they are family, friends, or strangers. To make sure you are ready to face the unexpected, below is a detailed guide on what you should do if you see someone having a seizure.

Busting Myths About Blood Borne Pathogens

At OC Safety, our mission is to create a safer world by providing the high-quality safety training courses that first responders, medical professionals, and other workers in dangerous environments need to protect and save lives. While many workplace dangers are clear and obvious, there are many hazards that aren't so easy to spot upon first glance. Blood borne pathogens are an example of these dangers. BBPs include conditions like HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Herpes Simplex Virus 1 & 2, and many more viruses and microorganisms. To help clarify the dangers of and best practices for avoiding blood borne pathogens (BBPs), we wanted to dispel a few common myths about blood borne pathogens.

Top Myths About Blood Borne Pathogens

BBPs are dangerous: though invisible, exposure to even a minuscule amount of blood can cause infection transmission. However there are many myths about BBPs. Here are a few blood borne pathogen myths we can put to rest for good:

The Truth About Online ACLS Certification

For those looking to get their certification for Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), online certification programs offers a level of convenience and flexibility that’s hard to beat as it can easily fit within anyone’s busy schedule. However, online ACLS certification programs do have a few downsides that can catch you off guard if you don’t know what to look for. To make sure that you know everything that you need to know before you invest your time and money in taking an online ACLS certification course, your local Orange County safety training experts here at OC Safety have put together this helpful guide. Check out the information below to learn more!

The Validity Of Online ACLS Programs

Unfortunately, even if you complete an online ACLS certification program, it does not mean that your certification is valid, as there are different types of programs that can give you varying levels of ACLS training. Since most people who will be getting certified for ACLS are professionals that need to be certified for their job, the validity of the certification is ultimately up to their employer. The requirements for accepted ACLS certification will vary from company to company, and since online programs provide you with a limited form of training, some employers may not accept the online certification.

CPR Tips & Tricks

CPR is a vital life saving tool that can be used in a wide range of emergencies such as heart attacks are cases of near-drowning, helping restore a person’s heartbeat and breathing if they lose consciousness. The process of providing CPR is fairly simple, but even those who have undergone training and have become certified to provide CPR, emergency situations can still catch you off guard, making it difficult to think clearly and act quickly when necessary. To make things easier, your trusted provider for first aid and CPR training, OC Safety, is here with some helpful CPR tips and tricks that can help you when you’re facing a sudden, emergency scenario.

Always Call For Help First

While CPR can help save someone’s life in the moment, they may still need additional medical treatment, which is why it’s only meant to be used as a tool to keep someone in a stable condition until medical professionals arrive. The most important thing to do before you start administering CPR to someone is to first call 911, or get someone else on the scene to call 911 so professional medical assistance will arrive to help as soon as possible.

CPR, First Aid, and BLS: Are They All The Same?

OC Safety is proud to provide comprehensive safety training classes to the residents of Orange County, CA. Our mission is to promote personal and public health by equipping individuals, from parents and teachers to healthcare professions, with the skills to protect lives. ln all of our premier safety training courses, you will be taught how to recognize and respond to various emergency situations.

The aim of CPR/AED Certification, BLS certification, and First Aid training classes is simple: to prepare you to save lives. But what are the differences between these three life-saving methods? Continue reading below to learn more, and register to receive your CPR & First Aid Certification or BLS Certification today!

Knowing how the body reacts in extreme temperatures essential to keep yourself and others safe when if you ever find yourself in a dangerous situation. When it comes to extremely cold temperatures, one if the immediate dangers that people face is frostbite, which can cause even more damage to the body if not treated properly. Today, the first aid and safety experts here at OC Safety will be breaking down what frostbite is, they symptoms to look out for, and how to treat it effectively and efficiently.

Understanding Frostbite

Frostbite is a condition when the skin and the tissue underneath freezes, and often happens in temperatures that are below freezing. The most common areas of the body that become afflicted by frostbite are any skin that is exposed, such as the nose, cheeks, ears, and chin. Those with poor circulations to certain extremities like their toes and fingers also have a higher risk of getting frostbite in those areas. When the skin and the tissue freezes, the body reacts by constricting blood vessels in the frozen areas in an effort to keep your overall core temperature stable and prevent the onset of hypothermia.  The most common causes of frostbite are exposure the extremely cold weather, or direct skin contact with ice or other materials that are at a temperature below freezing.

As your providers of CPR training, ACLS certification, and BLS certification in Corona, we at OC Safety want to give you the training needed to save a life if someone’s in danger. Through our CPR training courses, you’ll have the capability of helping someone who’s suffered from cardiac arrest. While we’re proud to provide proper training and information, there are unfortunately some myths and misconceptions about CPR lingering around that may have altered the views of people who are interested in CPR training. There’s certainly an absolute sea of misconceptions about CPR, but there are five specific ones that stick out in our minds.

You Can Be Sued If You Perform Bystander CPR

This one is by far the most common myth we hear about! Thankfully, if you provide emergency medical assistance to someone with First Aid or CPR, Good Samaritan laws will protect you, just as long as you’ve acted reasonably and prudently. However, if you were negligent in providing care, were reckless, or abandoned the victim after providing your initial care, the Good Samaritan law may not apply.

Blood is something that most people don’t think about on a regular basis, since it’s busy flowing throughout our bodies, out of sight and out of mind. We’re also not strangers to our own blood, from a simple paper cut to a bloody nose, we may get a bit squeamish but it’s nothing too out of the ordinary. However, what most people aren’t prepared for is what to do with another person’s blood, especially if it gets on you in some way. 

You may come in contact with another person’s blood due to a number of reasons, such as playing sports and coming into contact with someone who has a cut or performing first aid on someone in need. At OC Safety, preparing people for emergency situations is what we do, so we’ll be looking at what the risks and necessary steps are for when you come in contact with someone else's blood. 

Here at OC Safety, it’s our goal to provide everyone in and around Orange County, CA with the BLS certification and first aid certification needed to help out in emergency situations. We’re proud to provide our BLS training to everyone, from doctors and paramedics to those in the general public. If you’re thinking about getting BLS certification and learning about these training techniques, we’ll be glad to give you a few reasons why it’s a great idea to do so.

The Basics of BLS Training

BLS (Basic Life Support) training is the most basic type of certification for helping to revive those who happen to be incapacitated. Getting certified in BLS is a relatively quick training period where you’ll learn about how to revive, resuscitate, or simply sustain someone who’s experiencing cardiac arrest, respiratory failure, or any similar condition where the breathing or heart rate has been compromised.

At OC Safety, it’s our job to provide everyone in and around Orange County, CA with the CPR certification needed to treat patients in emergency situations. CPR is a lifesaving, but intense procedure that requires chest compressions to resuscitate a patient. When performing chest compressions, it’s suggested that each compression be about two inches (five centimeters) deep. Now, if you stop to think about it, you’ll probably realize that pushing two inches deep into a person’s chest seems extreme and way beyond what a person would be used to. And it is. Pushing that deep may even lead to a scary situation where you hear a patient’s rib break.

What Should I Do If There’s a Rib Break?

Keep going. It’s as simple as that, no matter how unsettling it may be. Sure, broken ribs hurt…a lot…and your patient will likely feel that pain when he or she gets up. However, everyone would agree that the preferred option is to have a broken rib and still be alive. Patients understand what’s at stake when CPR has to be performed and there’s almost zero cases of them significantly complaining about what had to be done. It may be worrisome to feel a rib break, but this is actually completely normal. It’s estimated that about 30 percent of patients will end up with a fractured or broken rib after proper CPR is performed.

Thank you for visiting our blog! Here at OC Safety, it is our goal to help each of our students build up their confidence assisting in first aid care and medical emergencies at their own pace so they can be 100% sure they can help people appropriately. Our CPR and First Aid Training Center was established in 2009 by a local firefighter and paramedic who both dealt with life-threatening emergencies of their own. Together they decided that they wanted to establish a company that provides education and training not only to medical personnel like themselves, but to any men, women or children who are interested in learning how to make a difference in the community. In the classes that we offer, you can learn anything from CPR, to assisting in medical emergencies such as heart attack, stroke & cardiac arrest.

Detecting Dehydration

Dehydration is a potentially serious condition experienced when someone loses more fluid than they take in. Young children and older people are the most likely to get dehydrated, so it is especially important for them to drink plenty of water.

It is common for new parents to be both very excited and nervous when welcoming a new baby into their lives. Many new parents feel afraid that they don’t know everything they should regarding taking care of their babies. If you are a new parent who is concerned that you lack the knowledge and skills you need to tend to all your baby’s needs, you’re certainly not alone as most first-time moms and dads can relate to how you feel. Just remember, that as time moves on you will acquire the knowledge and skills you need to provide your baby with the tender loving care he or she needs.

One skill that every new parent should have is the ability to effectively provide CPR or cardiopulmonary resuscitation as it is literally a life-saving skill. CPR can restore breathing and circulation until emergency personnel arrive. Below are some of the situations that can arise with your young child that could result in him or her needing CPR in order to survive until medical help arrives:

OC Safety strives to provide the best in CPR training for those located in or around Orange County, CA. While it goes without saying how important of a role CPR plays in our lives and the lives of our loved ones, what usually goes unsaid is that some of our loved ones are actually our furry little friends. Whether your animal of choice is a dog or a cat, we usually take their companionship and cuddliness for granted, but what happens when our poor furbabies find themselves struggling for air?

Pets dedicate their lives toward loving and helping us humans in any way they can. They express their love and share their cuteness with us through the endless amount of cuddling after we’ve had a hard day, listening to all our troubles, keeping us company while we’re lonely, or even posing for instagram-worthy photo and video. 

The team at OC Safety routinely provides companies of all sizes and types with on-site first aid training that is OSHA-compliant in and around Orange County and Santa Ana. If you're an employer who is considering providing your employees with on-site first aid training, you should be aware of OSHA's first aid training requirements so you can decide if you need to invest in this training or just instruct your workers to call 911 and wait for assistance to arrive. OC Safety offers on-site training for various industries including construction, aerospace, landscaping and agriculture. We also provide on-site training for the city of Santa Ana.

Here are some of the OSHA's main requirements regarding companies providing first aid training. 

If the time has come for you or your group to recertify for ACLS, CPR, BLS or AED it's important to get the training you need from licensed and certified instructors. OC Safety offers re-certification courses to anyone who needs to renew their certificates in a very convenient and efficient manner. We are proud to offer American Heart Association-approved courses in BLS for Healthcare Providers, Heartsaver CPR, AED & First Aid and ACLS Advanced Cardiac Life Support for healthcare providers. 

The team at OC Safety understands that people needing to renew their ACLS, BLS and AED certifications are often pressed for time. When you choose OC Safety for the re-certification you need, we are confident that you will enjoy the time you spend renewing your skills. It's fast and easy to recertify through OC Safety to make renewing your skills very simple. 

Hello 2016!

Goodbye 2015, and move over because 2016 is going to be a great year. Think of all the things you are looking forward to doing this year. Maybe a vacation, maybe you are expecting a child, maybe you graduate or begin school this year, maybe you plan to run your first marathon. Whatever the case, being prepared is extremely important, right? You wouldn’t get on a plane to a destination without having somewhere to stay, have a child without having its crib ready, walk the stage without your cap and gown or run your marathon without running shoes. (At least it’s not typically recommended). Why should being prepared in an emergency situation be any different?

At OC Safety CPR & First Aid Training, you will be trained by firefighters, paramedics, and RNs. Each have personally performed CPR and can teach the material hands on with a personal touch through their life experiences. We offer adult and pediatric scenarios in our training. Perfect for the whole family to learn.

OC Safety is dedicated to providing everyone who wants to improve their basic health care skills with exceptional CPR classes in Orange County. We have helped families, doctors, nurses, paramedics, businesses, and many other community members respond appropriately to situations requiring first aid. Providing great first aid begins with a kit full of the right supplies.

Your First Aid Kit Essentials

Building a basic first aid kit is simple. These are among the most important staples that a general kit should include: