OVERVIEW
Basic Life Support (BLS) is the set of immediate, hands-on skills used to keep someone alive when their heart or breathing stops — before an ambulance or defibrillator arrives. Those first few minutes decide survival: for every minute that passes without CPR and defibrillation, the chance of surviving a cardiac arrest falls sharply. The course explains what BLS is and why it matters, introduces the Chain of Survival, and shows how a calm, systematic primary survey (Danger, Response, Airway, Breathing) helps a rescuer quickly recognise cardiac arrest and act.
It then covers, in practical detail, how to deliver effective chest compressions and rescue breaths, how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED) safely, how to place an unresponsive but breathing casualty in the recovery position, and how to help someone who is choking — plus special situations such as helping children and infants. It is an awareness-level course: it builds the knowledge and confidence to act in an emergency, but it is not a substitute for hands-on, accredited first-aid training where that is required for a workplace role.
