Helping Without Hesitation: East SOS Team Completes First Aid Training
Knowing how to apply a tourniquet and knowing how to apply it correctly are not the same thing. In a critical situation, what helps is not having read the instructions but having skills practiced until they become automatic.
That is why the East SOS teams undergo first aid training at least once every six months, refreshing their skills and confidence in their ability to act. On July 9, 2026, the Foundation’s regional team in Vinnytsia completed the САВ course on providing first aid in emergencies and in wartime conditions.
Our specialists spend much of their time alongside people: at the psychosocial and legal support hub “Zatyshno space” run by East SOS, at transit centers receiving evacuees, at sites affected by russian shelling, during visits to residential care facilities, and elsewhere. However, these skills may prove useful not only in the course of their work, but in any situation where someone nearby requires urgent assistance.
During the training, participants learned how to assess an affected person’s condition, prioritize assistance, stop life-threatening bleeding, perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, use an automated external defibrillator, and respond to other medical emergencies until professional medical help arrives.
“In a stressful situation, a person does not remember everything covered in training. They act the way they have practised it many times. That is why we place so much emphasis on practice: we repeat the algorithms, simulate different scenarios and help participants build confidence in their ability to act,” said Hryhorii, the trainer.
Regular training is an important part of the East SOS teams’ prep. Training in first aid, mine safety, psychological first aid and burnout prevention helps the Foundation’s specialists act confidently in a range of situations while taking care of themselves and the people around them.
The training for the Vinnytsia-based team of “Zatyshno space” was conducted with financial support from the Fondation de France Solidarity with Ukraine Program.
We recently shared that the East SOS psychological support team completed specialized training on working with veterans and their families.
