Assessing the links between first aid training and community resilience 31 > Debate within the focus groups also indicated that willingness was not always affected by first aid training. In some cases people were more willing as a result of their training, for example the refugee group had previously thought they might get in trouble for helping someone who later died, and “didn’t know that if someone collapses that you can help them”. However, other people said they were willing to help anyway without training, and several referred to this willingness as “instinct”. It appears, therefore, that first aid training, especially multiple training, helps increase people’s confidence to provide first aid, although this confidence may dissipate over time. However first aid training did not appear to influence people’s willingness to help, and willingness may therefore be an inherent trait that people bring with them to the training, and/or is a trait that can be influenced by other factors. > Community efficacy appears to be facilitated 3.5.3 Increased knowledge of and by learning. Communities in which many engagement with other British Red people knew how to give first aid were also Cross services considered to be willing to provide first aid and likely to take action in a disaster scenario. > Less than one-third (28%) had learnt about Similarly, respondents were more likely to other British Red Cross services at their first agree that people in their community could aid training. Of these, half (52%) had shared rely on each other to provide first aid if they this information with someone else. (the respondent) knew someone within that community who they could go to for first 37 3.6 interrelationships between aid help. community and individual > Regarding learning, respondents who more resilience strongly agreed that they knew someone in the community to whom they could go for first aid help also tended to agree that others 3.6.1 Community resilience in the community knew that they (the interrelationships respondent) had had first aid training. This suggests a reciprocal relationship, resulting in > Social connectedness may be a conduit each knowing the other has first aid skills through which other indicators can operate. that could be accessed if necessary.38 In particular, feeling part of the community was positively linked to knowing someone > Knowing someone in the community to go to to go to for help and the likelihood that a for first aid help was, perhaps unsurprisingly, community would take action in the disaster positively related to whether many people in 39 scenario. In addition, respondents who agreed that community knew how to give first aid. that people in their community watch out for This illustrates the importance of knowing each other were also likely to agree that they what resources are available and where to knew someone in the community to go to for access them. first aid help if necessary.36 37 Positive linear relationships between: people know how to give first aid and willing to provide first aid to each other, F(27,248)=5.86, p<0.05; 36 Positive linear relationships between: feel part of community and know people know how to give first aid and community action in scenario, someone to go to for first aid help, F(27,248)=12.54, p<0.01; feel part of F(27,248)=5.86, p<0.05; rely on each other to provide first aid and know community and community action in scenario, F(27,248)=12.54, p<0.05; someone to go to for first aid help, F(27,248)=7.56, p<0.01. watch out for each other and know someone to go to for first aid help, 38 Positive linear relationship, F(27,248)=7.23, p<0.01. F(27,248)=24.28, p<0.05. 39 Positive linear relationship, F(27,248)=7.23, p<0.01.