On Saturday morning, 13 people attended a First Aid course run by Dr Cem Tolunay and his wife Bircan, who is a trained nurse.

The free training was given at the Vakıf building on Şehitler Caddesi, and involved a PowerPoint presentation on CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation), dealing with a blocked airway, and other similar emergency situations.

Following the presentation, attendees were given the chance to practice first aid techniques on a dummy - the ABC routine (Airway, Breathing, Circulation).

Kalkan Turkish Local News would like to thanks Dr Cem and Bircan for giving up their valuable time to impart a little of their knowledge.  Thanks also to the Mayor of Kalkan for letting us use the Vakıf Building, and also to Mojito Bar for the loan of their PC projector for the morning.

Whilst this is a serious subject, it must be said that there was a certain amount of laughter as the dummy suffered the full effect of some rather forceful techniques.  Had we been using a real person, Dr Cem may have been called upon to treat a few cracked ribs. 

Everyone agreed that the session was worthwhile, and Dr Cem has kindly agreed to hold another First Aid day, probably in April 2010, when he will cover other accident and emergency scenarios.  More details to follow in the new year.

If you would like some really useful information on basic first aid procedures, there are two websites we would recommend.  Click on the following link for the St John Ambulance website: St John Ambulance First Aid

And try this American website for Health World Online, which has advice on many emergency scenarios, with helpful diagrams: Health World Online

In the photos below, Adele shows us all how it should be done - performing CPR on the dummy.