First aid
The medical training and kit that make cabin crew the first responders to any illness or injury at 38,000 feet.
Definition
First aid in cabin crew terms is the mandatory medical training — CPR, choking, bleeding, burns, allergic reactions, hypoxia, fits, childbirth and the use of the AED and oxygen — plus the first-aid and emergency medical kits carried on board. Crew are trained to assess, treat within their scope and relay findings to the flight deck, which can consult a ground-based medical service and, if needed, divert.
What it means for you
Statistically you will deal with a medical event on board every few weeks: faints and panic attacks mostly, occasionally something serious. Your training covers the first minutes; the on-board doctor call, the ground medical link and the diversion decision cover the rest. It is examined at every recurrent, and it is often the part of the job crew are proudest of.
In practice
On a Turkish Airlines flight to Toronto a passenger faints in the aft galley; the crew lay her flat, give oxygen, take observations and relay them to the captain, who consults the ground medical service and continues to destination.
Go deeper
Related terms
4 terms- AEDSafety & trainingThe automated defibrillator carried on board for cardiac arrest, which cabin crew are trained to use alongside CPR.
- DiversionFlight operationsLanding at an airport other than the planned destination — for weather, a technical fault, fuel or a medical emergency on board.
- Recurrent trainingSafety & trainingThe mandatory yearly refresher and check that keeps your SEP, first-aid and type qualifications valid.
- DecompressionSafety & trainingLoss of cabin pressure at altitude: oxygen masks drop, crew grab the nearest one, and the pilots descend to breathable air.