About a year ago, three army cadets from the 219RCACC in Nova Scotia were preparing for a field training exercise when they noticed a dog that had gone through the ice in a nearby pond. Shortly afterwards, the dog’s owner also got stuck in the ice. They reacted quickly and managed to bring both dog and owner to safety, possibly even saving their lives.

Learning how to respond to emergencies, and even how save lives is an important and valuable part of the army cadet experience. That’s why our cadets spent this past weekend in classrooms at the historic Seaforth Armoury on a two-day Emergency / Standard First Aid course. Under the expert instruction of Major R. Thompson and our own Lt. M. Urbanowski, cadets learned a host of critical lifesaving skills and techniques designed to give rescuers and first responders the knowledge to assess and provide basic life support to patients with airway, breathing, or circulatory emergencies as well as how to manage medical, musco-skeletal and environmental emergencies. Upon completion of the course, cadets received their official certification in Emergency / Standard First Aid.

With standard first aid training cadets are well-prepared for outdoor adventure and for responding to emergencies in their daily lives. So, if you or your dog ever get stuck in the ice, hopefully there’s a well-trained army cadet nearby!

If you or someone you know is interested in joining the army cadets program, please visit our how to join page.

(All Photos: Lt. Urbanowski)