People I respect

[cjsmith]

I respect EMTs and paramedics. Seriously. I respect the hell outta people who do that work.

For years I've had an itch to get more and better crisis-response medical training. First aid, First Responder, paramedic, EMT... I don't even know all the designations, but I've wanted the training. People who do this work save lives. It's not only useful, it's vital, in the root sense of that word.

Naturally these thoughts of mine are in sharper focus lately.

Me, I probably couldn't be an emergency medical responder full-time. I have more than one chronic pain condition that could disable me just enough to keep me out of that line of work completely. My Bay Area mortgage also pushes for a high-tech job. So OK, not full-time, not unless a lot changes.

There's still quite a bit I can do. I could refresh my medic first aid training, keep my CPR training up to date, look at first responder courses, organize a workplace emergency response team... Stuff. Y'know. Stuff that could be useful. Stuff that could, for someone I happen across some day, be vital.

Comments

[lesliepear.livejournal.com]

You could teach CPR/First Aid.
Maybe assemble a kit to take with you for square dancing when you or Rob call it - although the odds of a severe injury are probably small, there could be a cut or sprain.
Or first aid for Rob to use with/on flight students.

And doing the workplace stuff is a great idea. We have a volunteer fireman who works here - he's the floor's fire warden. (You'd know he's a fireman - he's got firetrucks and fireman stuff in his cube!)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I'd have to get pretty good to teach -- but yes, I could do that in time. In fact, as a "community preparedness" thing, I might even be able to volunteer my time for it, making the classes less expensive for others. I like this idea!

We've got first-aid kits in our cars and in the airplane. As for square dancing, Rob has had multiple medical situations occur while he's been calling: one diabetic person having a siezure, one heart attack moments after walking out the dance hall door... The population we call to is not overwhelmingly healthy. It's good to know what to do in the first minute or two.

I definitely like the idea of the workplace stuff. I don't know how much support I'd need from the company, but it's worth finding out.

[ericainohio.livejournal.com]

Hm - I never thought about that with square dancing. I bet there's a lot of medical situations that arise because of the number of older folks who dance. So what did Rob do in those situations? Was someone available to help, or did he assist?

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's a little scary sometimes. I've heard that the average age of square dancers is going up one year per year -- we're not getting younger people into the activity. (I'm not at all surprised by that, of course.) The exception to that is the gay clubs, where people tend to be much younger. I suspect that in thirty years there won't be much straight square dancing in existence.

The diabetic siezure happened when an RN was nearby, so she helped stabilize the guy while Rob phoned for the paramedics. The heart attack happened just outside the hall in a big entryway of a hotel, and I think the hotel staff were the ones to get the ambulance for that guy. (He made it and is still dancing.)

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

refresh my medic first aid training, keep my CPR training up to date

That reminds me I need to check with the local Red Cross office about updating mine. They've both lapsed since I left $FormerEmployer, as they paid for the annual classes when I was there. Since I have actually used my training, it might be a good idea.

[dafydd.livejournal.com]

Go with the American Heart Association. Their certs are good for two years, and their classes are shorter and simpler.

And I'm saying this as an irregular Red Cross volunteer...

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I've had at least one AHA course... long long ago. I'll check into it. Thanks!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

*nod* I too have had an employer pay to train me (I was on the emergency response team at my previous company). I've never used it, though. What was the situation, if I may ask?

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

The situation wherein I used my skills? Interestingly enough, it was my first and so far only visit to Yosemite in May, 2002. I was working out of $FormerEmployer's Mountain View office; I'd come out there for what I thought was a two-day kick-off meeting trip for our new Customer Service DB project. Turned out they needed me out there for two weeks to help get everything rolling. Anyway, I had nothing to do over the weekend and since I wasn't on LJ yet, didn't know the number of people in the area I do now, so I decided to go see Yosemite. I made a hotel reservation in Mariposa for the Saturday night. I had no photography equipment and no hiking gear with me. I stopped at Wal-Mart to get 3 disposable cameras and early that Saturday morning I headed over to the park.

I took the tour bus around to various points in the park, including the hike from Happy Isles up to Vernal Fall. I'm wearing Dockers and a polo shirt - my usual work attire, and regular (non-hiking) sneakers. Since it was early May, all the falls were running heavy, including Vernal, soaking and spraying the cut granite steps that lead up the last bit to the brink. I just grinned and bore it, taking my time, being very careful how I stepped, getting very wet.

Once I turned around to come back down, going even more carefully than I went up, I was behind a woman who did appear to be equipped more appropriately for hiking. On one of the granite steps, though, she missed her footing a bit, and used her left arm to stop herself against the side of the hill to the left of the trail. Over the spray of the falls, I swear I thought I heard a CRACK. She yelped and slumped against the side of the trail/hillside and I could tell she was favoring her left wrist. The guy in front of her, not with her, but also better equipped to be hiking, stopped as well, and I asked him to head down to Happy Isles as quickly as he could to contact help.

In a sudden creative inspiration, I took the woman's backpack apart (it was a framed one), and used the nylon straps and one of the frame poles as a splint and sling and helped her very carefully come down the trail. By the time we got to the bottom of that (I think it's about a mile?) trail, the other guy was there with a park ambulance. One of the EMTs thought I did pretty well with the improvised sling and splint.

Sorry about the long story, but I'm still amused at how I really had no business on that trail equipped as I was, and still ended up being able to help someone. :-)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

That's pretty cool! Ability to improvise is very useful when you're a ways away from normal supplies such as splints.

[dafydd.livejournal.com]

When I did disaster education for the Red Cross, years ago, I used to advocate that everyone should know one- and two-person CPR, and basic first aid. One person in 50 should be EMT or better. One person in 200 should be LVN or better. One person in 500 should be MD or better. That's my idea for making sure that adequate disaster medical care is available when needed. Obviously, it's a pipe dream, but it's my pipe dream.

(I can't do much volunteer work any more. Since I started working for me, rather than for any specific employer, everything I do needs to provide me with some sort of income. Otherwise, I starve.)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I like that pipe dream. We're never going to get a population where 100% know CPR and first aid, but we can keep moving in that direction -- the closer we get the better off the group is.

As for income, I hear ya.

[jupiter29.livejournal.com]

I've known a few people over the years who worked as EMTs. I always thought that was exceptionally cool. And I've often thought it would be an excellent idea to take some emergency medical training. Unfortunately, like many of my excellent ideas, I haven't done it yet.

So, even if you could not do anything full-time, you could still smack people like me upside the head until they are ready to learn and then teach them. :)

[dafydd.livejournal.com]

EMT is a single semester course at many community colleges... ;-)

[jupiter29.livejournal.com]

Really? I had no idea! Unfortunately, getting my butt in good enough shape to do the job would be a lot longer than a one semester course. ;)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Ditto. Might even be impossible in my case. Still, taking the course, hmmmmmmmmmm. :-) A trained person in not great shape is still potentially better in a medical emergency than an UNtrained person in not great shape.

[jupiter29.livejournal.com]

That is a very good point! And I can't possibly think of a good reason NOT to take the course. So, who knows? :) I just might if you do. We can goad each other on enourage each other, or something. ;)

[cyan-blue.livejournal.com]

The Red Cross can use volunteers in many different capacities...

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Definitely. I suspect some of those positions would drive me crazy, but maybe there's a way someone like me could make some difference.

[cyan-blue.livejournal.com]

They have plenty that needs doing that doesn't involve being on your feet much.