An update on the First Responder Course!

Well, friends, it’s been a ride and a half, between taking my course to become a CFR (usually called an EMR in other places in the States, but a Certified First Responder here in New York) and with the other things that life has been throwing my way. However, I have finally had the chance to sit down and post this, by way of update –

I PASSED!!! 

When I took the test, my instructor asked me afterward what I thought and I told her honestly that I didn’t think I had done very well. That sentiment was echoed by others in the course who had also taken the test, as well. The questions seemed oddly phrased and it seemed as though they had put an emphasis not on practical skills and questions but instead on rote memorization. I was prepared for the fact that I may have not passed it, and was looking into what I would need to do to re-take it. I surely wasn’t going to just walk away!

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, a letter came from our state Department of Health, EMS bureau. I opened it, fully expecting to have found out that I did not pass the test only to find that I HAD. I am now a Certified First Responder in NYS. To all of you, whether you supported me in prayer, in good thoughts and wishes, or by being a reader or visitor to my blog, I offer you a heartfelt THANK YOU. I am truly grateful for the support that I have received and am looking forward to the next steps to take from here.

Most positions for a CFR are volunteer; most organizations that hire paid personnel want at least EMT level, but that’s ok – volunteer or paid, this is what I believe I should be doing, and where I believe I should be right now.

I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Oh and by the way – what’s stopping you from looking into something similar? Get to it! The world definitely can never have too many people who care, and who know what to do in an emergency; and I’m definite proof that you’re never too old!

God bless today, my friends!

 

Why people often don’t help – and why, really, those reasons shouldn’t stop us in an emergency

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, my wife and I recently “cut the cord” and ended our cable service. As a result of that, I ran across a channel on our Roku called “Roy on Rescue.” It’s done by a professional paramedic/EMT, and he addresses different issues dealing with being a first aider/first responder and also answers questions that people send in to him. (His website is www.royonrescue.com and his videos can also be seen on Youtube.

One of the episodes was titled Person Dying and you can help. so what’s stopping you?  (You can watch it here, if you like: http://www.royonrescue.com/2010/01/person-dying-and-you-can-help-so-whats-stopping-you/  ) In it he dealt with exactly that issue; the reasons people often give for (a) why they don’t help and (b) what can be done to show that either those reasons don’t or wouldn’t apply, or what can be done to make those reasons NOT apply.

It really was an eye opening experience for me to watch the video, because helping has always been second nature to me. Why? There are probably a lot of reasons why, (some of which I’ve touched on in other posts here on The Takedown)  and none of which include things like “Because I’m such an awesome guy”  or “Because I’m a superhero type and the ONLY one who CAN save people.” It was a good look into some of the reasons why others may not help, and how all of us can work to not only overcome those potential barriers in ourselves, but also help others to do the same, should they express them to us. The world needs people who care. It certainly has enough people who don’t, after all. Don’t believe me? Consider this, then: An estimated 294,000+ cardiac arrests occur in the United States each year that are treated in an out-of-hospital setting. Out of those, only an estimated 10%  of people do anything to help during those situations. That says, to me, there’s a problem somewhere. My hope is that by sharing this, it may reach even one person and help them realize that they CAN help – and that in a crisis, they WILL.

In a nutshell, the 5 reasons were as follows:

1. Unsafe scene – this is the only  one for which nothing can be done as far as “fixing” or “overcoming” it. A primary rule of being a first aider is that if the scene is not safe, do not enter it. Call the professionals. If you do not, you run the risk of becoming a casualty yourself, and then you are of no help to anyone and also become an additional burden to others who may arrive because now you need to be rescued. You might say it’s the only “legitimate” reason for not rendering assistance.

2. Liability: “I might get sued.”  Solution: Good Samaritan laws. Check them out.

3. Disease: “I might catch something if I do CPR/rescue breathing.” Solution: PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)

4. “I don’t know what to do! I don’t remember the numbers for CPR!” Solution: You don’t need to. Anything is better than nothing, even if it’s not the exact number of compressions.

5. “I might actually make the person worse instead of make them better.”  Solution: Same as #4, but also this – “You can’t make a dead person deader. You can only make them better.”

Rather than go into all the details that he does, I’ll leave you with that and STRONGLY encourage you to watch the video. It’s not that long, and I truly believe that you, like me, will come away changed.

Until next time, God bless, my friends.

Some posts to fill in for the interim

I’ll keep this short and sweet, followers, friends and those who happen in to read my blog. Life has, unfortunately, rather rudely intruded again and so my time may be short to post involved blog postings as I deal with some family issues that have arisen. For those inclined to do so, your prayers would be appreciated on that score.

In the interim, I’ll try to post things I think may be of interest and/or helpful to you until the dust settles and I can get back to putting the Boot of Truth to other subjects. I’ll start with this one, which I found quite an engaging read – it deals with an “IFAK;” what it is and what to keep in it.

God bless today, my friends!

http://www.theprepperjournal.com/2013/10/28/prepper-first-aid-finding-perfect-ifak-kit/

A plug for a very handy guide I ran across, in keeping with my “being prepared” post…

While in Barnes and Noble the other day, I ran across the following item: First Aid, Survival and CPR Home and Field Pocket Guide, by Shirley A. Jones. Needless to say, i was intrigued for a number of reasons, and picked it up to thumb through it. I liked it well enough that I purchased it and will say honestly that I am glad I did. I recommend it to anyone who would like a pocket sized wealth of information to carry with them as they go about their daily routines. (I initially looked at it because it would be easier to either put in my IFAK – that’s Individual First Aid Kit, if you didn’t know already – or carry on my person than my full sized first aid manual would be) Here are the positive points as I see them:

• It’s written by a person who is both an EMT-P and an RN. In the US of A, where I am, that translates into a person who is an Emergency Medical Technician (Paramedic), and Registered Nurse. That, to me, is a plus, since it’s not Joe R. Dunkelfeld putting together a book to sell that may or may not have accurate/proper information in it. It is presumed trustworthy, considering the source. The book is also compliant with HIPAA and OSHA laws (again, these are laws primarily for the USA, which govern proper procedures for protecting yourself and others when dealing with emergency situations). Again, it counts as another mark in favor of its reliability and trustworthiness.
• The book is designed to be used, and used in the field. The pages are, from the description, both waterproof and able to be written on with a ball point pen, which can then be removed with an alcohol pad to be written on again. This provides you with a way to take notes when in the field, if need be, when assisting someone in an emergency, as well as list emergency contact info on the fly when traveling.
• The inside cover lists Emergency Information Contacts, such as the American Red Cross, Poison Control Center, Animal Control Center, and the like.
• The book is separated into sections by thumb tabs, which I found exceedingly easy to manipulate to get to the section I need. Each section is, as far as I have read through it, fairly extensive; for example, the section on CPR even includes a section on how to perform the procedure on pets, should the need arise. That surprised me, since I had never considered having to perform CPR on a dog or cat, but hey, you never know, right? Other sections deal with safety, emergencies in general, injuries, medical emergencies, and also sections on disaster preparedness and survival preparedness and strategies. (I was especially impressed that, as I glanced through those sections in particular, they were common sense strategies and preparedness, as opposed to the more extreme “Prepare for the end of the world!!!!” type that is so popular in the media) 

My copy cost $28 and some change at B&N, but you may be able to pick yours up for less, should you shop around. It can also be ordered directly from the publisher at www.fadavis.com. Again, I would recommend it highly, and I think you would be pleased with it. It would be, to me, a worthwhile investment to have on hand, especially for someone who may not have formal training in First Aid/CPR and would like a quick reference on hand, just in case.

God bless, my friend!

First Aid/CPR certification? Helping others? That’s a job for a REAL Superman!

Yesterday, I finished an online course to be certified in Adult/Child/Infant First Aid, CPR and AED usage. (I’ll wait while you all applaud. Thank you, thank you. 🙂 ) All kidding aside, my post today is to encourage anyone out there who may not be certified to consider doing so. Why? Well, I’m glad you asked!

• Your own peace of mind. I have never, thank God, been in a life or death situation in which I had to use any of the skills I have learned, but I have been in situations in which less serious injuries have occurred. Knowing what to do and how to help and reassure the person who was injured went a long way to fighting down the instinctive feeling of “What do I do??” that can come in those situations, and save precious minutes that could otherwise be used to help and summon assistance.
• The peace of mind of others. There is no feeling, except possibly that of having literally saved someone’s life, of having someone look at you and genuinely thank you for helping them when they were hurt, sick or scared. Whether it’s a child, a teen or an adult, nothing matches it. Part of the training that I have taken stresses “Never allow the patient to feel alone,” and especially in a society such as ours, where it’s all too easy for so many to ‘fall through the cracks,’ as it were, that message rings through loud and clear. At one point, a parent said to me that at a family gathering (to which I had been invited, as a friend of the family) she was concerned about a group of kids playing on a trampoline until she saw me there, nearby. Then she felt that they would be all right because she knew I’d make sure they were safe. That made the training worthwhile.
• The fact that what you learn and pass on can help you as well. About 2 years ago, I rather dramatically discovered I was epileptic when I had a massive seizure in the living room of my apartment. After my wife’s initial panic (she’s human, after all) she told me that she and my youngest son remembered things they had learned, themselves, as well as things I had told them, and were able to summon 911 and get help while also making sure that I was all right. My youngest son has, on his wall, a “Life Saving Hero” award from the American Red Cross for his actions while calling 911 at a later date when I was struck with another seizure. He told the paramedics that he remembered what to do because of a safety class I had given at the school, and specifically to his class. Even without such an incident, any one of us can suddenly be injured or stricken when alone. Knowing what to do and how to help yourself can go a long way to fighting down the very human panic that can come at those times, and make the difference between making a small injury into a worse one, or even between life and death.

“But,” you may say or be thinking, “aren’t those classes expensive? Can’t I get sued if I help someone?” You may even be wondering why you need to bother to be certified, since you can just pick up a first aid book and learn those things on your own or read it when you need it. Those are valid objections, so let’s take a look at them.

• The class that I took through the National Safety Council was entirely online, save for the component by which I had to go into the local NSC office and demonstrate, hands on, some of the skills I had learned. I had a length of time to finish the online portion, and so could do it at my leisure. The cost was $19.95 and can be taken in English or in Spanish. I’d consider the potential benefits to be well worth the investment, wouldn’t you?
  • ON THAT NOTE: BEWARE OF SCAMS! There are companies online that purport to teach “completely online” courses that have no component by which you need to demonstrate your skills. They claim, among other things, to be “nationally recognized and accredited.” This is not true. Please direct your attention to this PSA, and be enlightened – then tell your friends so that they, too, don’t get scammed! http://news.hsi.com/onlineonlycpr
• Can you get sued? Of course you can. In today’s world, you can be sued for virtually anything. However, the point to consider is that every state in the USA, as well as the District of Columbia, have “Good Samaritan” laws on the books. Although they vary by state, in essence they are all designed to protect the lay person who acts in good faith to render assistance to someone who is in imminent danger or is hurt. That makes it very unlikely that you would be successfully sued if you showed that you acted in accordance with the law in trying to help. Ultimately, only you can determine whether or not it is worth the risk, if you will, to play it safe or render aid to someone in need.  I know how I would answer that question. How about you?
• To the idea of just learning it from a book, I pass on something that I once saw in a survival manual. The author stated that reading the book was not enough. You could have all the knowledge you want about making a fire without matches, in the rain, in the cold, etc; but until you actually did it – until you actually tried making a fire in the rain, when your hands were cold and trembling, when you were in the dark – all your knowledge was just that. It was knowledge. It wasn’t practical. So it is, I have found, with first aid. The training course and demonstrating your skills walks you through actually doing some of the most important things you learn in lifesaving skills. Yes, a book beats no knowledge at all, but it doesn’t replace a course.

In the end, it comes down to this when it comes to skills in First Aid, CPR and AED usage. It’s better to have the skills and not need them, then to need them and not have them. I never want to be the one saying “If I’d only known what to do.”

Do it. It will be worth it. Trust me.

God bless, my friend!