Ilmatar Employees’ Emergency First Aid Course Created Practical Confidence

Although the course was primarily aimed at Ilmatar employees working in the office and traveling, operational confidence is part of the company’s everyday life. In the renewable energy sector, safety is a key factor – whether it’s a construction site, a maintenance visit, or everyday life in the office.

The four-hour emergency first aid training, open to all interested, fit smoothly into the workday at the company’s headquarters.

“The threshold for participation was low when the course could be completed efficiently during working hours and even at our own office,” said IT Director Vesa Lepola.

Almost every participant had personal experiences of situations where first aid skills were needed – or where they wished they knew how to act. Many stated that their reason for participating was to gain the courage to take action in an emergency.

“In a helping situation, you can easily start worrying that you might do something wrong and cause more harm. The course provided confidence and clarified how to respond,” said Financial Controller Jenni Koponen.

Practical Training for Real Situations

The course covered the basics of emergency first aid situations; participants learned to recognize a person’s life-threatening condition and act quickly in the right order. One of the topics that raised the most questions and discussions was learning to assess in which situations moving a seriously injured patient is justified to save their life.

The training included plenty of practical exercises, such as mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, using a defibrillator, placing an unconscious person in the recovery position, and making a pressure bandage to stop bleeding. The exercises were conducted in a relaxed, participatory atmosphere.

First aid skills can prove to be vital in unexpected situations – both at the workplace and in one’s free time. Organizing the course was part of the workplace’s safety culture and serves as a message that people’s well-being is cared for.

The fact that first aid skills can be maintained during working hours indicates the employer’s trust and desire to enable meaningful actions outside the professional role as well.

“It is important to us that every employee feels safe and that they have the readiness to act when someone else needs help. Trainings like the emergency first aid course are part of our culture, which combines professionalism, responsibility, and caring,” said CHRO and CLO Anna-Maria Palmroos.