April 29, 2019,

The Office of Risk Management of the American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK) organized the American Safety & Health Institute Basic First Aid, CPR, AED Combo Certified Training to provide possible first responders such as security guards and maintenance personnel with first aid training to mitigate the risk of injuries and provide immediate first aid support in the case of emergencies.

The American Heart Association reports that, “Globally, cardiac arrest claims more lives than colorectal cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, influenza, pneumonia, auto accidents, HIV, firearms, and house fires combined.”

In an effort to keep students from joining this statistic, AURAK arranged for Ms. Mehreen Amanali, the Senior Life Support Instructor from Uniteam Medical Assistance LLC, to administer four days of first aid training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the Heimlich maneuver to University personnel. The aim of this training was to bolster the University’s Risk Management Plan by providing AURAK with enough trained personnel capable of assessing and intervening in emergencies until medically qualified first responders arrive, minimizing the risk of fatalities.

The Director of the Office of Risk Management, Mr. Fauzan Qazi, reported that, “UAE Law stipulates that there should be First Aid boxes and trained personnel at work in case of emergencies. AURAK is expanding and currently has nine buildings. These buildings have designated fire wardens who need to have this training. Therefore, the Office of Risk Management, in coordination with the Office of HR and Facilities Management and Logistics, and recommendation from the Health, Safety and Risk Management committee decided to arrange and conduct the First Aid and CPR training.”

Participants underwent hands-on CPR training in which they learned how to perform the entire process of executing a primary assessment, calling for 999, administering manual CPR on both adult and child mannequins, and how to use an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) should one be available. In the event of a choking emergency, personnel were also trained in the process of administering the Heimlich maneuver for both an adult and a child. Upon completing the training, the participants received a CME certification accredited by the Department of Health Abu Dhabi and an American Safety and Health Institute First Aid training course completion card. The event was held over the course of four days with ten participants each day, totaling the certification of 40 AURAK employees. Participants found the training highly beneficial and provided them with the confidence to be able to act during emergency encounters rather than feel hesitant.

AURAK President, Professor Hassan Hamdan Al Alkim, was pleased with the efforts in the initiative to create a safer learning environment for AURAK students, “Students can rest assured that our administration has the students’ best interests at heart and that their safety is one of our highest priorities.”