First aid certificates stay current for three years and CPR for one. What that means for NSW workplaces, childcare educators and anyone renewing on the Mid North Coast. Continue reading
Author Archives: coastalfa
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning First Aid: What the Heat Beads Tragedy Should Teach Every Australian Household
It was cold, so they brought the heat inside. That’s the whole decision. No recklessness, no warning signs, no moment where anybody involved thought they were doing something dangerous — just four people in a house on a bitter winter night, trying to stay warm, making a choice that thousands of Australians would consider entirely … Continue reading
Where to Find a Shark Bite Kit
If the worst happened at your local beach tomorrow morning, would you know where the nearest shark bite kit is? Most people wouldn’t — and yet there are now two separate networks of publicly accessible kits along the NSW coast, quietly putting life-saving bleeding control equipment within reach of hundreds of Australian beaches. One is … Continue reading
A Teenager Survived Cardiac Arrest Because His Workmates Knew CPR. Would Yours?
Sixteen-year-old Alex Harbour was doing a normal shift at his fast-food job in Victoria when his heart simply stopped. No warning. No underlying condition anyone knew about. One minute he was working, the next he’d collapsed, unresponsive, in cardiac arrest. What happened in the next eight minutes decided whether Alex went home that night or … Continue reading
First Aid Courses Port Macquarie: Your Complete 2026-2027 Guide to Courses, Costs & Certification
Searching for a first aid course in Port Macquarie usually means one of two things. Either your workplace has sent you an email with the subject line “ACTION REQUIRED” and a deadline attached, or you’ve had one of those quiet moments — watching your toddler choke on a grape, or driving past a crash on … Continue reading
What Is in a Shark Bite Kit?
If you’ve spent any time on a Mid North Coast beach in the last couple of months, you’ve probably noticed a small red box bolted to the wall of your local surf club. It’s a shark bite kit, and it’s there for one reason: to help stop catastrophic bleeding in the minutes before paramedics arrive. … Continue reading
Coogee Shark Attack: What First Aid Saved a Life — And What Every Australian Should Know
On the morning of Saturday, 14 June 2026, a 35-year-old woman, Leah Stewart, was swimming about 30 metres from the shore at Coogee Beach in Sydney when a three-to-four metre shark attacked her. She suffered severe wounds to her left leg and arm. What followed — before the ambulance even arrived — was a masterclass … Continue reading
