Lifesaving is a conscious act that actively involves multiple activities that include the following:

  • Rescue
  • Resuscitation 
  • First aid

The term generally refers to aquatic rescue and other aspects of water safety. However, it can also include flooded areas and river rescue, ice rescue, swimming pool rescue and various other incidences that require emergency medical services. Many activities for lifesaving include specialization in oceanic environments. This is called ‘coastal lifesaving’ or ‘surf lifesaving.’ 

Those people who actively participate in virus lifesaving activities as volunteers are generally called ‘lifesavers.’ On the other hand, if you were to dedicate your life to lifesaving activities as a full-fledged profession, then you will become an EMT (emergency medical technician). In case you work at the beach to rescue people from drowning and other mishaps, then you will be called a ‘lifeguard.’

The most important lifesaving activity that an EMT can perform is CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). In case a person has been immersed in the water for too long (for instance) he may not be breathing at all. In this case, the lifeguard would resuscitate him by performing emergency CPR procedures. He should check the airways of the victim to see that there is no obstruction (only if the person is not capable of breathing on his own). He should compress his chest multiple times and blow air into his lungs till the person starts breathing again.

o   Highly Trained Rescue Specialists

However, this is only one aspect of life-saving activities that may be performed by specialists skilled in the process. Firemen may charge into burning buildings to rescue trapped people. Alternately, rescue workers might try to extract people from unsafe structures during wartime or natural disasters (such as earthquakes, tornadoes, and hurricanes).

Such actions require a lot of courage and training as well as physical fitness before the individual is capable of performing such difficult activities for lifesaving.

There is an extensive trial and testing period designed to cull the best from the rest.  Only the most committed and physically fit individuals are selected for rigorous training, This training will help ensure that their life-saving skills are honed to the highest degree possible.

o   Well-trained Laymen

However, lifesaving activities are not the purview of highly skilled and trained professionals alone. On the contrary, even laymen can learn elementary lifesaving and first aid techniques that can help to save precious lives.

From applying a tourniquet to stem excessive bleeding to offering moral and emotional support to injured individuals, the properly trained layman can do a whole lot to ease and comfort a victim who requires urgent medical attention.

However, the keyword here is ‘trained,’ since an untrained person can do more harm than good in a situation where every second counts for a lot. 

o   Conclusion

In light of the above, we can safely deduce that both professionals, as well as trained volunteers, can make a world of difference in a medical emergency.