Kids put first

Alex de Vos
When Beth Roe’s son started choking on a lollipop, the former paramedic knew she had only seconds to retrieve the obstruction from his throat.
While the Warncoort mother watched in horror, Ms Roe’s husband, also a paramedic, grabbed their eldest son, threw him over his lap and gave him a slap across the back.
After 13 years behind the wheel of a wailing siren to saves lives, Ms Roe described the event as one of the scariest moments of her life.
“It was very terrifying seeing that happen to one of your own children,” the mother-of-three said.
“We knew we had to get that obstruction out – it was very scary.”
Equipped with some basic first-aid knowledge and quick thinking, the Roes were able to save their son’s life.
“The very nature of children and the way they play lends itself to things going wrong,” she explained.
“But children need to take risks to grow and it’s very important to know what to do if something goes wrong – it’s so empowering, especially when you’re freaking out.”
Ms Roe will share her experiences and first-aid knowledge with Geelong parents when the Kids FIRST Aid training program tours the region later this month.
She said the three-hour course would teach families how to respond to common household emergency situations.
“We focus on CPR, which is one of the biggest and scariest things you’ll have to do because seconds count – you need to get in and start CPR straight away,” she said.
“It’s something that once you learn it, you’ll hold it in the back of your head and you’ll go almost into auto-pilot when something goes wrong.
“Prevention is also another big thing. A lot of what we call accidents can actually be prevented, such as locking away chemicals and medication – it’s stuff everyone knows but we get a little complacent.”
The inaugural Geelong Kids FIRST Aid session will be on April 17.
For more information phone 1300 133 138.