Stepping up when the time comes…

Found a great quote from a certified EMT on the effect an emergency situation can have you you, and how taking a class doesn’t make you immune to the pressures of using those skills in a life-threatening situation.

It may seem obvious to call 911 for help, but I know a lot of people won’t think of it under pressure just based on what I’ve seen first hand. Taking a class is one thing – stepping up when the time comes (possibly with someone’s life in your hands) is entirely another. The first time you have to use those skills, even if it isn’t life-threatening, is scary! You’re trying to regurgitate an entire class’ worth of materials in 3.2 seconds in your brain, your hands are shaking, and you have some stranger [or friend/coworker] lying there. That is about as stressful as it gets…..

RForsythe (Responder/EMT) – Firehouse Forums

Have you been in an emergency firs aid situation? How did you feel and react? Leave comments below!

Let us help you be prepared for the unexpected. Take first aid and CPR emergency event coaching anywhere with your iPhone or iPod Touch with ResQr apps!

http://forums.firehouse.com/archive/index.php/t-76695.html

Wisconsin man’s life saved by his co-workers

It was just another day for a 49-year-old Scoutmaster from Chippewa Falls, WI, starting his shift at 11 am. Claude Carpenter has been working at TTM Technologies for three years.

At 12:30 pm Carpenter was experiencing what he thought was heartburn from spicy jambalaya the night before, he was hoping that the knot in his chest would go away, which it did – only to collapse of a heart attack. Now his life lay in the hands of co-workers he hardly knew.

Claude Carpenter with his rescuers.

Three people came to his rescue, Rick Steinmetz was one of them. Steinmetz had trained in CPR, “But it’s been 10 years,” he said. So he called to the front desk to request help from the First Responder team. Tim Black got the text and was about 200 feet from Carpenter. Other than TTM’s First Responder team training, he had trained through the Fire Department.

But training doesn’t mean you still aren’t shocked to see a co-worker you had just met a week before now having a heart attack.

Another TTM First Responder, Howard Ressler, arrived to help, bringing the Automated External Defibrillator (AED) with him.

“The unit told us to shock,” Black said about the AED, which diagnoses what is happening and gives recorded instructions. “After the shock, we started CPR.”

Carpenter came to and was loaded into the ambulance – remembering nothing of the incident. “The next thing I know, I woke up at St. Joseph’s Hospital,” he said. Carpenter has a certificate for completing CPR training. But he never expected to rely on others to know how to do it. “Never in my wildest dreams did I figure I would be the one they would be using it on,” he said.

Carpenter came out of the experience thinking all businesses should have an AED. “These things should be in every business place,” he said of the units.

Ressler said TTM is buying two more AEDs, so the machines can be spaced out throughout the Chippewa Falls plant.

If you want information on incorporating an AED program into your facility or workplace, contact our AED Experts today, or give us a call us at 888.473.1777.

Source, by Rod Stetzer

Didn’t change your AED’s batteries? That will be $3.2 million death settlement please.

A settlement of $3.2 million will be paid to the family of a 49-year-old man who died of a heart attack after a Chicago Fire engine’s defibrillator batteries hadn’t been replaced.

On January 22, 2005 Frederick Partyka, a city worker in the Chicago area collapsed while using his snow blower in front of his home. His son, a paramedic with the fire department – witnessing the incident – called 911 immediately and ran out to administer CPR while waiting for help to arrive.

At 3:16 pm the fire engine arrived, the paramedic on-board found Partyka in ventricular tachycardia – a life-threatening condition. But when the paramedic went to use the AED to shock Partyka’s heart back into rhythm, the defibrillator didn’t work. The batteries were old and wouldn’t hold a charge. At 3:22 pm an ambulance arrived with a working defibrillator. But those six minutes were far too late – Partyka was already dead.

“The industry standard required – and the manufacturer recommended – that this particular defibrillator battery had to be replaced every two years,” said Susan Schwartz, an attorney representing the Partyka family.

“But, on Jan. 22, 2005, no battery had been purchased by the city since October, 2000. They didn’t properly maintain the batteries for these defibrillators.”

During Monday’s Finance Committee meeting, First Deputy Corporation Counsel Karen Seimetz told aldermen that the defibrillators used on that day were replaced in March, 2005. The new version uses batteries “automatically changed out with the manufacturer every two years,” she said.

Stories like this can be prevented if your organization has current AED management software – a program that can track where your AEDs are, when their warranty is up, when they need maintenance, and when their batteries need replacing. Contact us today – 888.473.1777 or info[at]think-safe[dot]com – to ask about our new First Voice +AED Program Manager.

Source

EID in action!

While working with Wilson this past Friday, I had the opportunity to put my

First Voice Responder Kit to use.  In preparing a grill at and industry

related charity fund raiser, Blake Cureton with Wilson accidentally injured

his arm.  As luck would have it, I had my system on display and I was able

to illustrate to the volunteers how the system worked and administered

first aid to the injured Cureton.  Becky Gray with Wilson snapped a picture

of the EID in action.

We got an email from Phil Hines today with a great story of putting the Emergency Instruction Device (EID) to use!

While working with Wilson this past Friday, I had the opportunity to put my First Voice Responder Kit to use.  In preparing a grill at and industry related charity fund raiser, Blake Cureton with Wilson accidentally injured his arm.  As luck would have it, I had my system on display and I was able to illustrate to the volunteers how the system worked and administered first aid to the injured Cureton.  Becky Gray with Wilson snapped a picture of the EID in action.

Phil Hines of JDF putting the EID to work!

Thanks for sending this to us Phil! Great work!

If you have any questions about the EID or how it can save you or your organization money, email us at info [at] think-safe [dot] com – or shoot us a call at 888.473.1777 today!

Our apologies.

On September 24th we had an email leave our offices with news of the Rugged+AED SET System and how it can save you or your organization money, time, and provide a great sense of security.

I made a mistake. To this day I am not sure how it happened, but everyone that received that press release email also saw the other people that received it too.

I fully realize how amateur this mistake was.  I am taking this seriously and would like to say that  it will not happen again. I will not make any excuses for what happened; – I believe it was an honest (yet detrimental) mistake that will not happen again – but I will say that we are doing everything in our power to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.

For anyone that saw the email and is upset about it, I am sorry. I, like you, get annoyed by spam email and understand how easy it might be to claim that we spammed you. Frustration is understandable. We have learned and are moving forward stronger than ever to bring you innovative life-saving tools and training in emergency first aid.

Thank you for your understanding and time.

-Will

What a gift we got in the mail!

As a gag, Paula was sent a stem of Brussels sprouts today!

5-year-old’s life saved by trained and prepared lifeguards.

A group of young lifeguards were honored as neighborhood heroes recently by the Denver police department and the Daniels Fund.

Alaina Larson (20), Myrisa Garcia (15), Zach Stout (19), and Anita Muniz (21) worked together to save a 5-year-old girl after a 6-year-old girl from the same daycare alerted the lifeguards that her friend had sunk to the bottom of the pool. As Alaina and Myrisa performed CPR, Anita called 911 and relayed the information to the rescue team as they were en route. Zach Stout stood by, defibrillator properly prepared in case it was needed.

“This outcome could have been tragic if not for the quick actions of the 6-year-old girl and the teamwork and professionalism of all the lifeguards involved,” according to a statement from Denver police spokeswoman Vicki Ferrari.

Being properly trained with an Emergency Response Plan in place can mean the matter of life and death. If you’re not trained in first aid or CPR, check out Think Safe’s certified Online Training! The American Lifeguard Association (ALA) endorses the First Voice Emergency Instruction Device; see why it’s the key element of being prepared for anything.

Source: Denver Post

Press Release: First Voice Handling the Elements with Rugged First Aid System

Leading the way in multilingual workplace technology-aided first aid response

Hiawatha, Iowa, August 24, 2009 – Think Safe delivers state-of-the art upgraded first aid innovations consistently, while maintaining its track record of meeting and exceeding industry standards. The Rugged+AED Self-contained Emergency Treatment (SET) System is one of those innovations, providing a compact and low cost-of-ownership rugged AED, color-coded first aid supply bags, and the highly endorsed Emergency Instruction Device (EID) – all packaged in a rugged, waterproof Pelican case made to handle the toughest situations.

Donald Linder, doctor of emergency medicine at St. Luke’s Hospital – one of the nation’s

Dr. Donald Linder with the Emergency Instruction Device outside his hospital in Cedar Rapids, IA.

Top 100 Heart Hospitals – says that the system is comprehensive and a key first aid tool to supplement CPR and first aid training. “With over 3.8 million disabling workplace injuries and over 250,000 Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) deaths in the US annually, and first aid and CPR skills studies showing only a six-week retention, First Voice provides a quality solution for the retention problem and the failure to have the right supplies immediately accessible.” In a SCA event, studies show that a 4-minute or less time to defibrillation is one of the keys to survival and recovery of the victim.

“Our Rugged+AED SET System adds high value by its tough versatility and easy to find color-coded supplies matching our First Voice EID’s audible and visual coaching prompts,” says CEO/President of Think Safe Paula Wickham. “This system is designed for any rough environment that is subject to the elements, or venue that is expected to comply with OSHA’s general industry and workplace first aid and AED requirements or recommendations.”

First Voice Rugged+AED SET System

The Rugged+AED SET System steps a responder through all major and minor first aid events with clear and calm multi-step instructions utilizing the EID and the coordinating first aid supplies, all housed (including the rugged AED**) in the Pelican case. The system is available from select distributors including CPR and First Aid Training Centers or first aid supplies and safety distributors nationally. More information can be found online.

All protocols within the system are compliant with 2005 approved ECC/American Heart Association and American Red Cross First Aid and CPR protocols. With a recently added new EID “Language” button responders can now hear emergency instructions in Spanish or English, with the capability of 20 or more additional languages available. The contents of the color-coded first aid supply bags allow the Rugged+AED SET System to meet and exceed OSHA and ANSI’s newly updated 2008 first aid compliance standards.

**AED is optional, added to fit specific needs

To learn more about the First Voice SET Systems, visit us online or feel free to call one of our experts today at 888.473.1777 today!

CPR Facts & Statistics

• About 75-80% of all out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen at home, so being trained to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can mean the difference between life and death for a loved one.
• Effective bystander CPR, provided immediately after cardiac arrest, can double a victim’s chance of survival.
• CPR helps maintain vital blood flow to the heart and brain and increases the amount of time that an electric shock from a defibrillator can be effective.
• Approximately 95% of sudden cardiac arrest victims die before reaching the hospital.
• Death from sudden cardiac arrest is not inevitable. If more people knew CPR, more lives could be saved.
• Brain death starts to occur four to six minutes after someone experiences cardiac arrest if no CPR and defibrillation occurs during that time.
• If bystander CPR is not provided, a sudden cardiac arrest victim’s chances of survival fall 7-10% for every minute of delay until defibrillation. Few attempts at resuscitation are successful if CPR and defibrillation are not provided within minutes of collapse.
• Coronary heart disease accounts for about 450,000 of the nearly 870,000 adults who die each year as a result of cardiovascular disease.
• Approximately 310,000 of all annual adult coronary heart disease deaths in the United States are suffered outside the hospital setting and in hospital emergency departments. Of those deaths, about 166,200 are due to sudden cardiac arrest.
• Sudden cardiac arrest is most often caused by an abnormal heart rhythm called ventricular fibrillation (VF). Cardiac arrest can also occur after the onset of a heart attack or as a result of electrocution or near-drowning.
• When sudden cardiac arrest occurs, the victim collapses, becomes unresponsive to gentle shaking, stops normal breathing and after two rescue breaths, still isn’t breathing normally, coughing or moving.

Get CPR certified through our Online Training, or keep step-by-step instructions on how to handle an emergency CPR event with our CPR Coach iPhone App!

Family talents lead to a fun weekend!

My husband’s cousin Carol Wickham was one of the individuals among the Woodstock masses 40 years ago. In honor of the historical cultural event in New York her son, Aaron Wickham, threw an honorary historical event for the family band – Genevieve’s New Hip – in Allison, Iowa on Saturday, August 29, 2009. It will live in infamy as band members came from the Northwest, Southwest and Midwest United States to satisfy the entertainment starved masses that gathered and intensified into the evening. Wickstock 2009!

It started with kids playing some rock together as cousins (I believe the band originally was called The Rave) – yet years later they can gather and kick out great tunes and have this unspoken common ground. Now grown with adult lives and different professions such as teacher, government employee, school counselor, accountant, US soldier, restaurant manager – they came together to create something that cohesively bonded their audience, their families, and themselves. The last time they played together was about a year ago at Uncle Jay’s funeral, our Purple Heart WWII family hero. And, played very well they did despite it being with a kids drum set, an old acoustic guitar some family member dusted off from the basement, and a local pawn shop guitar purchase the day before the funeral. It was a brilliant tribute to Uncle Jay’s presence on this earth and what he left behind. The time before that was 10 years or maybe a bit prior! The morning after Wickstock 2009 we sat around drinking coffee and chatting about life, I asked the drummer how long since he had played. You guessed it – at Uncle Jay’s funeral. This is amazing to me…he said it was likeriding a bike. However, what he did not say is that I bet it took lots of earmuffs by his mother and effort during the years of practice to get him to that level.

I believe each individual human has God-given talents and be it sports, writing, competitive strategy, people skills, musical or singing, or interpretive dance talents -  how with just a little hard work or application these talents can be tapped into time and again during a lifetime of building relationships and family bonds. The beauty of talents is truly achieved when we are able to and decide to put those talents to use for the enjoyment and betterment of society or family. Isn’t this really what life is about?

Leave your thoughts below!

Think Safe President/CEO, Paula Wickham