Running into an exam that was not to be

Running into an exam that was not to be

“Be with WB and others as they prepare for the exam…,” the trainer started the morning with a prayer.

I did not believe that I was hearing right but this was happening realtime.  But how did we get here on this Friday, November 19?

I had already attended a fire marshals training, which is close to my heart.  The trainers of the two-day event had threatened a fiery exam, which they failed to deliver.  I had already taken two such fire exams in previous years and I was not worried any bit whether the exam was to be there or not.  Anyway, it is those trainers who recommended that a good fire person should also know some first aid.

That is why I found myself, one week later, sitting in a three-day first aid class.  I am one of those people who have had a hard time with the biological sciences.  I was forced to take a course in biology as a compulsory subject in high school.  I am even lucky to have attained a grade B in Bio in the finals.  This was after real struggle and many hours of dedicated reading.  I was glad to finally do my ‘adios’ to bio after high school as I pursued the physical sciences.

I was therefore not looking forward to this first aid course.  I do not like issues to do with health distress.  I am one of those people who hate going to hospitals, for self or to visit.  The misery that I see there just gets me back to being well, even if I was the one unwell.  However, I was in the class, and I just had to see how it goes.

I had already gathered information from a previous year’s class attending by other work colleagues, that there is usually a ‘hard’ exam after the course.  I do not like exams at this stage in life.  I detest ‘hard’ exams.  I nonetheless went through the motions of attending the training.

The training turned out to be more enjoyable that I thought.  The material was presented in small doses.  It did not take more than half a day before I was adorned in hand gloves, having a feel of the latex for the first time in like forever.

“You must have your gloves on before performing any first aid,” the trainer reminded us as she demonstrated how to put them on, and then watched over us as we replicated her instructions.

We were already performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by day two.  I had just heard about this on the news.  I was now an active participant, albert performing this life saving process on a dummy.  This is a chest compression procedure done when a casualty does not show any signs of a heartbeat.  It seemed easy when seen on TV.  

It was more difficult that I had imagined.  At two chest presses per second, powerful presses if I may add, you get tired hardly 30-seconds into the procedure.  But that is not all – once you start the procedure, there is no stopping until the casualty’s heart becomes responsive or until medical help arrives.

Many abbreviations later, including DR ABC, and we were on day three.  The word ‘exam’ had just been mentioned in passing at the end of day two, with no much emphasis.  If anything, they told us not to write too much notes since they would give us the handouts of the training, after the training.

However, when day three started with that prayer then I was brought back to reality that this exam thing could as well just happen.  The day started like any other and we were soon doing both theory and practical sessions.  We were dealing with fractures in no time and stopping bleeding like pros.  We were kept busy with no sign of any exam.  

By lunch hour the exam thing had been forgotten.  It was even now too late to do it.  We even came back from lunch and started preparing for the end of day and the future outlook on how we shall be deployed at our various stations.  We even took our evening tea!  This is usually the last thing you do before you break!

It is just as we were preparing to call it bluff, a few minutes past 3.30pm when….

“Now we shall be giving out the exam papers and you have 20-minutes to answer all questions!”

At four we got our certificates and the one-year first aider license.  The morning prayer must have worked.

WWB, the Coach, Nairobi, Kenya, November 25,2021