Most people know me simply as First Aid Phil.That’s because I've been working in the first aid field almost all my adult life.Over the years I’ve trained so many people how to save lives that whenever I go to the supermarket someone stops to tell me how my training helped them during an emergency.I have been sharing my knowledge and passion for first aid with community groups, schools, organisations and members of the public since 2004 when I set up Workplace First Aid.And in 2016 when I received the Future Business Leader award at the Westpac Otago Chamber of Commerce Business Awards, the citation described my impact on the greater Otago community as “immeasurable”.I set up Workplace First Aid in Dunedin because I saw a gap in the market for quality training that people actually enjoyed. We became a New Zealand Qualifications Authority-registered private training establishment in 2014 and our courses are now available all over Otago and in other parts of the country, including Auckland.We provide first-aid training to most secondary schools in Otago and about 90% of primary and intermediate schools.My passion for first aid came about through my interest in scuba diving. Instead of going to university, I became a scuba diving instructor and graduated as the world's youngest instructor on my 18th birthday. Being a diving instructor also means teaching first aid and over time I began running more first aid courses than dive courses!I enjoyed it more because of the opportunity to transform lives.First aid instructing used to be quite dry and boring but we have now changed that perception. Along the way we have become the leading provider in our region.I believe in paying it forward so I am also an underwater helicopter escape trainer, set up the Global Destination Challenge, and work with surf lifesavers.If you would like to know more about how creating a safer workplace and saving lives, please get in touch with me at phil@wpfirstaid.co.nz