WOULD you know what to do if you were faced with a knife or acid attack?

Two new emergency first-aid training films have been launched this week by South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) and National Pubwatch, who have been working together to advise people on how to respond to a knife or acid attack.

It aims to help bar staff and members of public to help prevent loss of life and reduce risk of permanent disfigurement to a victim or injured customer in the minutes before an ambulance arrives.

The acid attack film follows a ‘Remove, Remove, Remove’ approach and demonstrates how to provide first aid to someone with deliberate or accidental exposure to hazardous substances, while the knife attack film shows people how to apply pressure to a wound, to keep the sharp object in its original place, also called ‘in situ’, rather than remove it, and to provide reassuring support to the victim.

Paramedic Team Leader at SCAS, Dave Baker, said: “We strive to save lives and in the unfortunate event of encountering a victim of an acid or knife attack, we hope that these films provide people with the knowledge of what to do – and the confidence to do it – until an ambulance arrives on scene.

“Giving the right, essential emergency first aid to such victims in the minutes before the emergency services arrive can make a real difference, not just to the victim’s survival but also reducing the potential long-term impact of such attacks. We are very pleased to support National Pubwatch with this innovative way of delivering first aid training to staff working in licensed premises across the country.”

Chair of National Pubwatch Stephen Baker said: “Personal safety should always be the main priority; but we feel that staff can take steps which at the very least will minimise harm. We have tried to make the scenarios in the films realistic and in doing so we appreciate that there is a danger of upsetting some people.

“But this is a serious issue and staff need to understand what they might be faced with if a knife or acid is used in their pub or bar.”

Watch the acid attack film at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9YDKkeTEKA and the knife attack film at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtyL8Sia07o.