Emergencies happen at the most unexpected times, and knowing first aid and CPR can make a difference.
That was a lesson learned at a local business earlier this summer.
Tammy Trueblood, a paramedic supervisor with Jackson County Emergency Medical Services, led the class at Foster Brothers LLC through the adult cardiopulmonary resuscitation portion of the class when she started to discuss automated external defibrillators.
The devices, commonly known as AEDs, are used to shock a heart back into rhythm.
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At that point, a man had a heart episode and passed out from a cardiac dysrhythmia.
Trueblood immediately went to the man and checked for a pulse in his wrist after a few shouted his name. The man didn’t have a pulse.
Others checked his neck pulse and could not detect one.
She pulled his shirt open and had someone check his pulse right before she was going to begin chest compressions.
"At that point, he took a deep breath and then started to come around a little bit," she said.
The man was taken to the hospital and was treated and released, Trueblood said.
The situation was a reminder of how important it is to know first aid, she said.
Trueblood, 58, has her own training business, Trueblood’s CPR Training, to train local fire departments, businesses, agencies and organizations. The classes take about four hours to complete with everything people need to know to prepare for medical emergencies.
She uses her 35 years of experience in being a first responder to guide participants through the class.
Trueblood said people have passed out during courses or have started to not feel well, but it was the first time someone needed immediate medical attention.
"Usually, I don’t have that kind of thing come up," she said.
Trueblood shared some tips on what people should do if they experience an emergency.
From there, people should make sure the scene is safe, stay with the person if you’re able to and implement any training you know.
Trueblood said another important thing to do is be very clear with first responders about your location.
"Even though we take tours of places or schools, it may have been a year or so since we were last there," she said. "Sometimes, people will tell us they’re in the gym of a certain school, but we don’t always know how to access those gyms."
Trueblood suggests other people should wait for first responders outside a building to direct them and keep in mind that first responders come at different times, so they should remain outside to assist them.
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If your organization is interested in offering a first aid or CPR training, call Tammy Trueblood at 812-861-0251 or email her at [email protected].
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