First aid training/refresher?

Where would one go to get some basic first aid training? I had to take a basic course in Germany to get my drivers license there, but that was over 20 years ago and I'm pretty sure I've forgotten most of what they and the military taught me.

Coming across the scene of an accident on the way to work - no, I didn't partake in the jollies, I arrived after the fact - and while it didn't look like anybody was hurt it drove home the point that I didn't quite remember what to do in case someone was hurt. I think I probably would have been able to avoid aggravating the damage, but that's not quite good enough IMHO.

It also drove home the point that I didn't have a first aid kit in the truck - any recommendations for a good source for those?

Oh, and it was quite interesting to see that it basically was the two guys in the E36 M3 old trucks (ie, me and the guy in front of me) who jumped out and see if they could help (plus a third guy in a truck who called 911 for us), none of the other berkeleyers could be bothered to leave their warm and cozy cars. OK, so it was snowing but if anything that made it more important to check on the people involved in the accident.

The Red Cross.

i have a wilderness advanced first aid certification from wilderness medical associates. they have instructors teaching courses all over the country at various times of the year. they offer training from basic first aid/wilderness first aid up to wilderness EMT level. www.wildmed.com

if you can't find one of their courses, you could also check into a knowles course.

for first aid kits, amazon actually has a good selection, you can also look at firstaidsuppliesonline.com, but they're more factory/OSHA first aid supplies.

check your local hospital and/or library. Hospital is likely to have monthly CPR training/certification for staff - often open to anyone

+1 on the American Red Cross. You can also check the local YMCA or your community college.

Local Volunteer Ambulance Associations often teach EMT and MRT courses. They may charge a fee, but reimburse you if you become a member after you complete it.

As a platoon leader for Infantry Combat Medics with recent deployment experience I second everyone that has advised to seek out an American Red Cross course for CPR/BLS. You can also check with your local fire station as they are required to maintain yearly certification and will most likely have a certified instructor on their squad.

For a first aid kit in my car I carry basic things that you can buy at Wal-mart (aside from army-issue tourniquets):

• 20 Large gauze pads
• 20 Medium gauze pads
• 3 Ace wraps (you can make compression dressings out of the Ace wraps and gauze pads in a hurry)
• 2 large bandannas with a stack of taped-together popsicle sticks tied to one end of each(as a quick tourniquet, dressing, or sling)
• 3 CPR/mouth-to-mouth shields
• 3 pairs of nitrile gloves (so you don't accidentally hurt someone who is alergic to latex)
• 2 emergency space blankets (you may need to go to an outdoor equipment store for these)
• One of these: it'll break a window, cut the seatbelt and remove clothing for easy wound access in no time at all. If not one of those, then a normal pair of EMT shears works too for cutting clothes, it's just not quite as fast or versatile.
• Finally, I put it all in one of these: it's water and abuse proof in case I was involved in the accident myself and need my stuff to be protected.

Mostly, I focus my kit for trauma, because if you are the first guy on the scene and you need to bust out your kit, it is likely not a pretty scene and you will mostly be dealing with blood and airway difficulties and by the time Emergency Response is on scene they can deal with broken bones and the like.

Hope this helps.