MUM-of-three Myleene Klass believes life-saving lessons should be taught in school – and that it’s a scandal they are not.
In her latest book, the musician and radio presenter explains some vital emergency techniques.
5
5
5
Myleene, who lives in North London with her children Ava, 14, Hero, 11 and two-year-old Apollo and partner Simon Motson, says: “My kids have learned plenty of first-aid techniques. To them it’s a game.
“It’s doctors and nurses. But the point is, they know what to do if it’s needed, and it makes a difference.”
She adds: “After working with St John Ambulance, the girls and I made videos of what to do and put them on TikTok.
“Just a day after I posted, I received this message — ‘I watched your choking video yesterday. I’ve just carried out the abdominal thrusts manoeuvre on my wife who was choking on a piece of chicken. Between you and me, we just saved a life’.”
Myleene, 44, is speaking from experience, revealing that she has saved both her daughters from choking incidents.
In an exclusive extract from her book They Don’t Teach This At School, we reveal Myleene’s rescue remedies . . .
What to do if someone faints
WHEN a famous pop star fainted near me, I cleared a space and undid her bra, making sure she was comfortable.
I could see she was about to pass out and asked if she was pregnant, but then down she went, before she could answer.
She was breathing normally so I put her in the recovery position and she was fine afterwards (and she was pregnant!).
If they can’t be woken within a minute, are having a fit or seizure, or hurt themselves when they fall, call an ambulance.
Get them to lie down with their legs raised (which helps the blood flow to the head).
If this isn’t possible, they should sit and lower their head between their knees.
Give them water to sip or get them to try to eat something.
Get them to take deep breaths.
How to recognise a stroke
STROKES are very common. They affect people of all ages and one happens every five minutes in the UK.
A speedy response is crucial. The Stroke Association charity recommends using the FAST technique:
- FACE — Ask the person if they are able to smile and check whether their face has fallen on one side.
- ARMS — Ask the person if they can raise both arms and keep them there.
- SPEECH — Check whether they can speak clearly and understand what you are saying to them. Check if their speech is slurred.
- TIME — This is crucial, so if you see any of the three things above, dial 999 as quickly as possible.
How to treat a jellyfish sting
HERO was swimming in front of me and I suddenly saw an imprint on her skin and blood rising up to the surface.
Then I saw the jellyfish swim off.
The screaming! I couldn’t calm her down, it was awful.
The best thing to do is find either a lifeguard or someone else who has first-aid training.
Otherwise, rinse the affected area with sea water (not fresh water), then remove any spines left in the skin.
You can use tweezers if you have them, otherwise the edge of a bank card should do the trick.
Soak the area in water that is as hot as can be tolerated for at least 30 minutes.
If soaking it isn’t possible, use flannels or towels soaked in hot water and replace when they start to cool.
Take painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen.
What to do if someone’s clothes catch fire
I’VE put this into practice twice — once to a woman at the launch of one of my classical albums.
There were candles everywhere, and she had extensions and backed into one of the candles.
Her hair caught fire instantly.
I pushed her to the ground and rolled on her to put it out.
It also happened in a nightclub, to a member of a rival band, again because of hair extensions.
I pushed her on to the floor and rolled her too.
The advice is simple:
- STOP Don’t run. It will make the flames worse.
- DROP Lie on the ground as quickly as you can.
- ROLL In heavy fabric or a fire blanket to smother the flames, though if none is available, just rolling on the ground helps.
What to do if someone is choking
A COUPLE of years ago we were relaxing on holiday and my defences were down, so when Ava started to choke on calamari I didn’t immediately realise.
I jumped over the table and whacked her three times on the back.
She sprang back to life, then carried on eating like nothing had happened.
Hero choked on a small plastic star when she was one and a half.
I lay her on her front, angled along my arm, and hit her hard five times on her back.
It wasn’t until the third attempt that it worked.
DON’T use your finger to fish around in their mouth to try to remove the obstruction — you might push it further down.
DO ask them if they are choking and if they can cough and clear the blockage themselves.
If they can’t do this, here’s what you need to do: Help them to lean forward, then support their upper body.
Using the heel of your hand, administer five sharp blows on their back between their shoulder blades.
If that doesn’t work, do five abdominal thrusts.
Stand behind them and place your hands under their chest, just above the belly button.
Clench your fist, then wrap your other hand around it. Pull sharply inwards and upwards five times.
If they haven’t coughed up whatever was obstructing their airway, call an ambulance and continue with the blows and the thrusts.
If they are unresponsive, start CPR while you wait for the ambulance to arrive.
How you can help out
IF you are inspired by Myleene and want to make a difference in your community, the charity St John Ambulance can help.
This year its #AskMe campaign will showcase young lifesavers.
The health and first aid organisation runs six youth programmes to help young people build confidence, gain important life skills and have the knowledge to know what to do in an emergency.
St John relies on the public’s donations to equip and train the next generation of young lifesavers.
Sign up or donate at sja.org.uk.
How to perform CPR
YOU should only perform CPR on someone who is unresponsive.
To determine this, shake the patient by the shoulders and shout loudly: “Can you hear me? Can you open your eyes? Can you squeeze my hand?”
If there is no response, act as fast as possible.
If you’re in a public place that is likely to have a defibrillator — such as a leisure centre, shopping centre or airport — use it.
Unless you’ve been fully trained and are confident in rescue breaths with CPR, you should only attempt chest compressions
Place the heel of your hand in the centre of the patient’s chest.
Put your other hand on top and interlock the fingers so that you are using both arms for the compressions.
Keeping your arms straight, push the breastbone down firmly and smoothly, and release.
Aim for 100–120 compressions per minute, or around two per second.
Make sure the pace is correct by singing Stayin’ Alive (by the Bee Gees) and doing your compressions in time to the beat.
Keep going until professional help arrives or until the patient shows signs of regaining consciousness.
What if they are a child?
MAKE sure the child is lying flat on their back.
Open their airway by tilting the head back gently, placing one hand on their forehead and two fingers under their chin.
If you can clearly see an obstruction and can remove it safely (with no danger of pushing it further in), do so carefully.
Pinch the soft part of their nose, form a seal around their mouth, and give five breaths (with a pause between each). You should see their chest rise.
The rescue breaths should be followed by chest compressions.
On children you should only use one hand to do the compressions.
Place the heel of your hand in the centre of the child’s chest.
Keep your arm straight and press down 30 times.
After 30 compressions, do two more rescue breaths.
Repeat this 30:2 ratio until help arrives.
Since the Covid-19 outbreak, the advice on giving rescue breaths has changed.
Now the recommendation is that it’s safest to avoid putting your face close to the patient’s and to find some light material, such as a T-shirt or tea towel, to cover their nose and mouth to prevent droplets reaching you.
- They Don’t Teach This At School by Myleene Klass (HQ, £20) is out next Thursday, May 12.
5
5
