LifeFlight’s free First Minutes Matter Courses to come to the Western Downs

A series of free LifeFlight trauma courses will be held across the Western Downs next month, encouraging residents to brush up on their important life saving skills. Find out more.

Braydon Brighton has survived his second brown snake bite after driving 2km to call for help and using his work shirt as a tourniquet until the rescue chopper arrived.

Western Downs residents will have the opportunity to learn important life saving skills when LifeFlight hosts a series of First Minutes Matter courses in the region next month.

Held in Dalby, Chinchilla, Miles and Moonie, the free training program will allow people to practice what to do at an accident scene and will cover safety, burns, bleeding, snake bites, airways, seizures and strokes, CPR and AEDs, equipment and wellbeing.

In a press release LifeFlight medical educator Leah Harrison who has been an emergency nurse for more than 20 years said it was vital people knew what to do before help arrived.

“The most important benefit of this program is being able to help people in the first stages of their accident or medical emergency,” she said.

“It is important for all people to know skills that can save a life in the minutes when people are waiting for specialist care to arrive for two reasons; firstly, no one should have to face the situation where they are the first family member or bystander in an incident, and not know how to help and secondly, because these skills will save lives and improve patients outcomes.

“The course has been developed by LifeFlight emergency medicine specialists and arming yourself with this vital knowledge is the best protection you can offer your loved ones and community.”

LifeFlight FMM educator Leah Harrisson

Ms Harrison said these skills were particularly critical for those in regional areas.

“These skills are especially vital in the rural community where road and farming accidents are more common,” she said in a press release.

“When people live in regional areas and smaller towns it means that a medical response can be further away and take longer than in more built-up areas, so it’s crucial that they have the skills to safely manage a medical emergency before official help arrives.”

This comes after last month a young North Burnett tradie was bitten by a snake for the second time and confirmed the first minutes mattered.

In a press release Braydon Brighton said he was “all for” programs like LifeFlight’s free trauma training program.

The rural contractor was cutting brush on a Geata cattle property on January 30 when he was bit by a brown snake.

“I’ve felt two slaps on the side of my leg,” Mr Brighton said in a press release.

“I’ve looked down to see two puncture wounds. I wasn’t real good – I wasn’t feeling real flash. I started to get a bit light-headed.”

Braydon Brighton has survived his second brown snake bite after driving 2km to call for help and using his work shirt as a tourniquet until the rescue chopper arrived.

The 27-year-old, who was previously bitten by a brown snake in 2021, said he normally had a first aid kit under the car seat, but this time he didn’t.

“I tried to keep cool, calm and collected,” he said.

“My leg started to sting, and I thought ‘oh s--t’. But I was at fault there for not having a snake bandage on me at the time and for not bloody preparing myself better.

“I just wasn’t thinking. If I am to be honest about it, I felt like a deadset d--khead. I was a fool for not carrying it.”

After calling his mum who called triple triple-0 paramedics bandaged his leg and put it in a splint and drove him to the LifeFlight helicopter.

Mr Brighton said after being discharged from hospital, he visited the Gin Gin Pharmacy where his mother worked and bought himself a snake bite bandage kit.

“It cost me $50, but was well worth the investment because it could save my life or someone that I’m with to make sure we don’t go down the gurgler.”

The courses will held March 5 in Miles, March 6 in Chinchilla, March 7 in Dalby and March 18 in Moonie.

People can book in here.