Feeling Safer?
by Henry Bellows, Safety Committee Chair
Fifteen of your fellow WUUs were in the Sanctuary Tuesday evening, Jan. 20, for training in CPR and using our automated heart recovery equipment.
The two-hour free training in the Sanctuary used the American Heart Association’s Friends and Family program to review and practice current best practices for aiding an unresponsive person.
The training was led by members of the Jamestown Bruton Volunteer Fire Department in how to use CPR to sustain people’s lives and WUU’s two AEDs to save their lives. The session is part of an ongoing effort by our Safety Committee to get half our congregation proficient in basic life-saving practices.
Dr. Deborah Fabian suggested the training, in part, for selfish reasons. “I just wanted to be sure I was sitting near someone who could help me if I needed them,” she said with a smile.
Dr. Camilla Buchanan and her wife, Deb Hill, were two of those gathered who practiced together on the Sanctuary floor on one of six adult-sized electronically equipped mannequins. Dr. Buchanan said she attended to keep up with innovations in medical practices.
“It is important to keep our skills sharp,” Dr. Buchanan said.
The group practiced key steps for initial emergency response:
Determining if a person is unresponsive.
Determining if a person is breathing.
How to get help; calling 911 and getting the AED.
Proper speed and technique for administering CPR.
How to most efficiently use the AED machines to restart a normal heartbeat for a person whose heart has stopped beating normally.
Plans for a spring training session are underway. Please contact safety@wuu.org if you are interested.
Congratulations to Trenna Tankersley, Wayne Moyer, Lucile Kossodo, Camilla Buchanan, Debra Hill, Carol Brouwer, Megan and Bob Tschannen-Moran, Helen Hansen, Ruth and David Hopkinson, Deborah Fabian, Liz Wiley, and Asha McLaughlin.