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The death of a close friend drove home the critical importance of first aid knowledge to Adel Salman who has now made it his mission in life to teach crucial life-saving skills to people in Bahrain.
"In 1999 my friend and I were in a car accident and, while I escaped unhurt, my friend, who was in the driver's seat, died in front of my eyes. I did not know how to open his airways and stop his bleeding and he became unconscious and died before help could reach us," said the Bahraini businessman.
The accident and the fact that he could have helped his friend if he possessed the required skill left an indelible mark on Mr Salman. Now he, in partnership with other investors, runs IPTS (Industrial Petroleum Training Services) the only company on the island which trains people in programmes from Medic First Aid, an international worldwide leader in CPR and first aid emergency care training based in the US.
"Initially when we set up IPTS in 2004 we were involved with maintenance work of petroleum pipes on the island. But then we saw a dearth in first aid knowledge right from the workers working with petroleum pipes to high powered executives and changed our line of business to health and safety," said Mr Salman.
IPTS has tapped into a market which is very much the order of the day.
On average Mr Salman and his team of trainers (four expatriates, seven Bahraini women and 19 Bahraini men) train 3,000 people annually in first aid and they were even booked to train a group of expat mums and their maids following a recent near drowning in a hotel swimming pool.
"Our plan is to put as many trained people on the roads as possible, 80 per cent of all accidents in Bahrain are fatal and the Bahraini police, who are normally the first ones on the accident scene, are not trained in first aid. So if anyone has the crucial life saving skill he can save the victim from dying," said the father of four and resident of Jidd Ali.
It takes anywhere between four to six minutes on an average for the oxygen to stop flowing to the brain which means that the victim will be brain dead even if he survives the accident.
It is these few minutes which are vital, stresses Mr Salman, where first aid and CPR can make a world of a difference.
"The first and the most important thing is to keep the victim breathing by opening his airways and administering CPR. The second stage is to manage the injury and keep the victim in the recovery position till expert help arrives," said Mr Salman who holds a medic training international safety licence and completes refresher courses with international trainers every two years.
It is all this and more that the Medic First Aid training programme teaches. Apart from conducting courses for companies and groups of individuals, IPTS regularly trains people free of charge in an effort to spread the life saving skill to all and sundry.
"Last week we trained 60 Isa Town Municipality workers free of charge. Last year we gave 30 traffic department personnel free of charge training in first aid so that they understand the importance of it," said Mr Salman.
"To date we have completed first aid training in 100 Ministry of Education schools also free of cost. Every year we organise a programme for Bahrain TV where we recreate emergency scenarios and show how first aid can save lives. We need to introduce mandatory first aid training in schools, to parents, companies and caregivers because no one knows when an emergency can arise."
