Quote:
Originally Posted by Maker
Most of the country is handled by volunteer fire departments.
Someone usually arrives quickly. Rarely more than a couple minutes. Get CPR started. That's the critical milestone - care withing 4 minutes.
As more people arrive in a few more minutes, they can swap over doing CPR - it's very physically exhausting when done right. It's not like television.
When the AED arrives, it gets used.
Volunteers (neighbors) know their neighborhood and can find addresses fast. That is what works here.
If anyone here looks at PulsePoint when an ambulance goes by, and looks at the time for the call, the response time is easy to figure out. For the PAID responders, sitting ready to roll, rarely do I see a sub 5 minute response time at any time of day. That's a serious problem. Warrants investigation IMHO.
So the AED program, with the volunteers, is super important here.
That alone should convince neighbors to buy into the program.
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45 years of actual hands on CPR, in house, and in public. Working trauma, the big difference between a professional and volunteer…we never brag about how many we have correctly administered depth, and rhythm.
We never count the amount of lives saved, although our stats can be looked up, we never need the cowboy feeling that most volunteers get, or the volunteer who announces I am here to save your life, which in reality may or may not happen.
What we rarely speak of and always hidden in our thoughts, those we couldn’t save, the newborn, infants, drowning children, abused, and the 23 yo in horrific car accident.
What I have experienced in TV for close to 20 years, unless the neighbor know the specific address among the 200-400 houses, sleeps in their clothes, even getting 4 doors down takes more than 3 minutes, and that was from a retired EMS. Active event in front of people, different event. 2 am very different outcome