The Western News

Carries On Instructions In First Aid
Red Cross Doing Great Work in Accident Prevention.

TRAINS MANY TO COPE WITH EMERGENCIES

Terming the first aid training of Americans an important element of peacetime preparedness, Harold Lutes, chairman of the Libby Red Cross chapter, today called attention to the expanding first aid program of the American Red Cross and asked for a greatly increased membership enrollment of the people of Libby and Troy during the annual Roll Call, to be held November 11 to 30.

"This volunteer army of men, women, boys and girls, trained by the Red Cross to render first aid in any emergency, already numbers more than two and a quarter million and is increasing at a tremendous rate," Mr. Lutes said.

"During the 25-year period from 1910 to 1935," he pointed out, "the Red Cross gave first aid instruction to a million persons. Training of the second million was completed within the next four years. Within the 12 months ending June 30 of this year the number trained and certified by the Red Cross in first aid was 380,000, and the rate is still increasing."

Mr. Lutes explained that the Red Cross stepped up its first aid activity in 1935 to cope with the growing national menace of accidental death and injury.

"At that time," he said, "accidents were taking a toll of well over 100,000 lives a year and more than 10,000,000 maimed and injured. An important contributing factor was the rising tide of traffic accidents, and the Red Cross broadened its first aid program to include the training of personnel and the approval of equipment for a system of highway first aid stations and first aid mobile units throughout the country."

This highway first aid program," he said, "has so clearly demonstrated its worth and found such favor with the medical profession and the public that its growth has added considerably to the demand for Red Cross first aid training. There are now nearly 6,000 of these highway stations and mobile units from coast to coast, and they are increasing daily.

"But this is only a small part," he added, "of the total effort which includes the training of firemen, policemen, factory and office employees, farmers, CCC and WPA workers, Coast Guard members, high school and college students, and thousands of civilians in every walk of life.

"Records of industrial firms show that the first aid training of employees not only results in a marked decrease in lost time due to accidents but that first aid trained employees meet with far fewer accidents than those who have not had the benefit of such training.

"Undoubtedly," he said, "the same situation prevails in every line of activity and regardless of whether the individual is in his home, at work or at play. It is not too much to say that this vast army of first aid trainees are not only contributing greatly to the reduction of accidental death and injury but are well qualified to cope with any accident emergency, which is a factor of great importance in these days of emphasis on peacetime preparedness."