Get Equipped Fire and First Aid

04/11/2025

What are bruises? Great question! Ever taken a knock? Here's what's going on.....

Bruises are bleeding under the skin, and sometimes they signal a deeper injury.

For mild bruises:
🧊 Apply a cold pack (wrapped in cloth).
🚫 Don’t massage or apply heat early on.

If there’s big swelling, pain, or signs of shock (dizziness, pale skin), treat it like internal bleeding….

➡️ Lie the person down, keep them still and warm.
➡️ Call 000 immediately.
➡️ Don’t give food or drink.

⚡ Don't forget to save this post for later or share it with someone who needs to know

28/10/2025

Moving a casualty can sometimes worsen injuries — increasing pain, bleeding and shock. However, other times, moving them is necessary. Do you know when to do each❓

A rescuer should move a person:

✅ To ensure safety (close to a road, railway, fire etc)
✅ To protect them from extreme weather
✅ To evacuate from difficult terrain
✅ To manage their airway and breathing
✅ To control severe bleeding

If you have to move them:

💡Avoid bending or twisting the neck or back
💡Have three or more people assist if possible
💡Consider using a spinal board to support their head and chest, pelvis and limbs.

⚡ Don't forget to save this post for later and share it with someone who needs to know.

In all medical emergencies, always fall back on DRSABCD. Can't remember it or would like to book a private course? Get in touch today!

21/10/2025

❓What would you do if someone had an object embedded in a wound❓

Here's what we recommend: LEAVE IT THERE — no matter how tempting it is to remove.

Why❓That object might be the only thing stopping a major bleed. Removing it can cause sudden and severe blood loss.

Here’s what to do instead of removing it:
🩹 Apply gentle pressure around the object, not on top of it.
🧻 Pad around the sides with pressure to keep it steady and prevent movement.
🚑 Call 000 immediately — this is always a medical emergency.
💬 Reassure the person and keep them as still as possible.

Even small objects can pe*****te deep and hit major vessels — so hands off until the experts arrive or you can get them to hospital.

A fishing hook definitely fits this category, but so do other objects such as knives, sticks, glass, nails etc.

⚡ Don't forget to save this post for later and share it with your fishing buddies

In all medical emergencies, always fall back on DRSABCD. Can't remember it or would like to book a private course? Get in touch today!

14/10/2025

First aid for a bleed? The solution is simple....

🩸 Direct pressure! 🩸

When someone’s bleeding, firm pressure is your first and best move — and it works in most situations.

Here’s what to do:
1️⃣ Use a clean non-stick pad, wet gauze, or even your hand.
2️⃣ Press directly on or wrap a bandage over the wound — not just nearby.
3️⃣ Hold steady; don’t lift to check if it’s stopped.
4️⃣ If blood soaks through, add another pad on top and apply more pressure.

📞 If the bleeding is severe and can't be controlled by pressure, call 000 and keep pressing.

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🩹

19/08/2025

🧠 Mental Health course at Mount Pleasant College 👩‍🚒

Recently, the staff at Mount Pleasant College completed our nationally recognised 11244NAT Mental Health Support for First Responders course.

Together, we explored some key topics, including:
✔ Defining 'First Responder' (often a bystander on an emergency scene, providing the very first few minutes of support)
✔ The GUIDE Principle
✔ The importance of good communication
✔ Support structures
✔ Self-care strategies

It was a real pleasure working with such an engaged group - their thoughtful questions and contributions made for some really valuable discussions.

If you’d like to run this course in your workplace, we’d love to work with you and tailor it to your team’s needs.

This nationally recognised short course is designed to be concise, practical, and efficient - perfect for anyone wanting to build or strengthen their mental health support skills without a huge time commitment.

Our enhanced online mode offers:
🎥 4hrs of pre-course videos and quizzes (completed at your own pace)
🤝 4hrs of practical scenarios and discussions

📩 Get in touch with us today to find out more.

Want to try before you buy? Give our FREE online course a crack: https://www.getequipped.com.au/online-courses

12/08/2025

😢 🏥 Weekend fun… with a bump 🤕 👨‍⚕️

Last weekend we stayed in an Airbnb down in Mandurah with two other families — 6 adults, 10 kids… hectic, but a lot of fun!

But as any parent knows, it's all fun and games until someone gets hurt....

Our 18-month-old had a mishap on the trampoline and split her head open just above her eyebrow. It was wide and it bled a lot, and we knew straight away this was deeper than a quick 'Disney Princess Band-Aid' job.

Here’s what we did:
✅ Applied firm, direct pressure to the wound with a sterile, non-adherent dressing
✅ Grabbed her favourite toys for comfort
✅ Gave paracetamol for pain relief
✅ My wife sat in the back of the car with her, keeping pressure on the wound as we drove to hospital.
✅ Lots of cuddles and reassurance

The amazing nurses glued her up, gave us some aftercare tips, and we kept it clean, dry, and covered for about a week. Now it’s healing nicely.

Key takeaway: If you’re dealing with a bleed — APPLY DIRECT PRESSURE TO STOP IT..... AND SEEK MEDICAL ASSISTANCE IF IT WON'T STOP, IF IT HAS SOMETHING STICKING OUT OF IT OR IF BLOOD IS SPURTING.

In some cases (like a harder fall or higher impact), you might also need to consider the possibility of fractures, concussion, or spinal injury — but that’s a topic for another post.

We were out within a few hours, and our little one is back to pushing limits like nothing happened. Not the first time… definitely not the last!

Training courses for Get equipped with the confidence and ability to assist in a fire or first aid emergency. At Get Equipped, we are committed to delivering each of our courses in a way where participants can engage with the material, understand the content and walk away feeling confident to make a...

11/08/2025

Although our socials have been quiet lately, the last couple of months has seen us busy delivering a heap of fire and first aid courses to some truly fabulous schools and organisations around Perth.

A big thank you for trusting Get Equipped to deliver the goods — it’s always a privilege to share life-saving skills with such awesome groups! 🚒 🔥



OSOS Alliance












Until next time, stay safe and we look forward to working with you again soon 🫶

01/07/2025

🥶 Triage Tuesday: Hidden hypothermia in Perth’s winter 🥶

We’re lucky in Perth — winter often brings clear skies and beautiful sunny days (not so much today, but how good was last week!?!). But don’t be fooled. As the temperature drops overnight or during early mornings, the risk of hypothermia still exists — especially for children, older adults, campers, rough sleepers, and anyone working outdoors.

🌡️ What is hypothermia?
When the body’s core temperature drops below 35°C, vital systems slow down. It can be life-threatening if not recognised and treated early.

❄️ Recognising the stages of hypothermia
MILD hypothermia (32–35°C):
• Shivering
• Pale, cool skin
• Impaired coordination
• Slurred speech
• Responsive, but possibly with delayed responses

MODERATE (28–32°C) to SEVERE (

24/06/2025

🩹 Triage Tuesday: Sprains & Strains 🦵
Injuries happen fast — be faster with first aid that follows Australian Resuscitation Council (ARC) guidelines.

🤕 Sprains involve ligaments (connect bone to bone)
💪 Strains affect muscles or tendons (connect muscle to bone)

📖 ARC-recommended first aid: R.I.C.E.R.
R – Rest: Avoid movement to prevent further injury
I – Ice: Apply for 15–20 minutes every 2 hours for the first 48–72 hours
C – Compression: Use a firm bandage to help reduce swelling
E – Elevation: Raise the injured area above heart level if possible
R – Referral: Get professional medical advice

🚫 And don’t forget to avoid H.A.R.M. in the first 72 hours:
H – Heat
A – Alcohol
R – Running
M – Massage

Quick action can reduce recovery time and improve outcomes.

🧯 Want to feel confident in a crisis? Book into one of our nationally accredited first aid courses today.

18/06/2025

🔥 Last week we delivered a fire training course for the Design & Tech team at Trinity College — and what a session it was! 🔥

We explored the science and classes of fire, the right extinguishers for the job, and the importance of acting early. Staff got hands-on with extinguishers, discussed their new FIP and we walked through their space to assess risks to ensure safety to themselves and their students.

The team were engaged, asked great questions, and left more confident in their response to a fire emergency.

📣 If you're a school looking to upskill your staff with practical, engaging fire safety training — get in touch! The feedback was overwhelmingly positive and we'd love to help your team too.

01/05/2025

🔥 What a HUGE April! 🔥

We’ve been busy delivering fire extinguisher and first aid training to some incredible teams—empowering people with lifesaving skills!

A massive shoutout to these amazing organisations for trusting us with their training:

👏 Mulberry Tree Childcare
👏 Rossmoyne Senior High School
👏 Dale Christian College
👏 OSOS Alliance
👏 Shekinah Glory Health Care

Thank you for making safety a priority—we loved working with you and can’t wait to see you all again soon! 💪🧯🚑

28/04/2025

🗓️ Mark your calendar – May 22nd! Don’t miss your chance to enrol in our next monthly public first aid course - HLTAID009 Provide CPR (2hr practical) & HLTAID011 Provide First Aid (4hr practical)

Where: Deep Water Point Pavilion, Mount Pleasant
When: May 22nd, 9:30am start

For more information or to purchase tickets, head to our website or check out the link below:

https://shorturl.at/92ZuY