Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, April 30, 1990 TAG: 9004300144
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DEBORAH SENSABAUGH SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: BUENA VISTA LENGTH: Medium
The fight against cardiac arrest has been led by the Buena Vista Rescue Squad, whose public relations team decided educational efforts were in order.
At the local Rotary, American Legion and Lions clubs, rescue squad members touted such things as eating sensibly, learning cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and responding more quickly to cardiac-related calls.
The idea really took off.
"We told the organizations what we wanted to do and the expense involved," said Pam Hall, a squad member. "The organizations pitched in and donated a lot of the equipment we needed."
Needed, Hall said, was a first-response vehicle loaded with needed to help keep shock/trauma or heart attack victims alive until the rest of the squad arrived to take the victims to the hospital.
Hall said the American Legion got things moving by donating $4,200 for radio equipment.
The local chapter of the American Red Cross chipped in with oxygen equipment and the Rotary paid for the special drug boxes.
Other help came toward response time efforts.
Employers of many of the squad's 17 trained defibrillator technicians offered to allow on-call days, when employees would not suffer pay docks for hours missed on a first-aid call.
The local Pizza Hut even kicked in a free lunch for on-duty technicians.
The squad obtained a 1990 Bronco with special lights, sirens and emergency and safety equipment needed to offer first response.
"We now can jump-start a heart in the field," Hall said, with pride. The efforts haven't stopped with the special unit, however. A community-wide CPR class offered by the squad has 48 students. Another class is planned.
Talks to schoolchildren indicated a need for a 911 emergency telephone system. So the squad has been talking that up as well.
Other efforts may culminate in mandatory CPR training in high school health classes, and restaurant workers and police officers are two additional target groups for CPR education.
In addition, education about proper diet and exercise is available.
"Buena Vista is a factory town. Workers are too tired to come home and do exercise to benefit their hearts, and our typical Southern diet of fried foods needs some changing," Hall said.
Already the new first response unit has been pressed into service.
Last week, it answered two calls.
"This is going to show the city that we really do care enough to provide the extra service," Hall said.
by CNB