About Yair Shapiro

Yair works as the logistics manager for a non-profit organization that administers a network of dormitories for youth who need a “home away from home”.  He lives with his wife and child in Petach Tikva and has been volunteering for United Hatzalah for the past year and a half.  Yair is the type of person who feels an innate sense of responsibility for those around him.  As such, he was troubled by the fact that if a relative, friend, or even a passerby suddenly needed medical attention, he would not know what to do.  To rectify the situation, with the full support of his wife, Yair enrolled in a United Hatzalah EMT course and began volunteering.  Today, whenever he returns from a call, be it a successful resuscitation or a simple bandaging of a minor injury, his family greats him with great enthusiasm and a proud smile. “That alone means everything to me,” said Yair.

Yair has no shortage of lifesaving stories.  This story, however, is one he will never forget.  “One day I was discussing with my brother how important it is to know basic first aid. As an example I explained that in a partial choking, while a child can still breathe or cough, one should not slap the child on their back, whereas in a full choking situation it is imperative to do so. The next day he told me that this conversation had saved his son, who choked while eating that day. What I had taught my brother saved my nephew’s life!”

Yair’s conviction of the importance of having in every home or school at least one person who knows first aid was deeply strengthened that day.  And he is proud to be part of an organization that is actively spreading this knowledge through its constant first aid courses given to the public.