Randy Cassingham's Blog

Posted by Jeremy - Virginia on June 30, 2009:

Two comments:

1) Our rural county in Virginia has a requirement that all homes have a number sign at the driveway. These high visibility signs, blue with white lettering, are custom made and sold by the volunteer fire departments for $10.00. Compliance is about 90%. It makes it easy for fire and rescue squads to find the right house day or night.

2) A service organization, Ruritans, to which I belong, places easy-to-use defibrillators in strategic locations in the county -- churches, schools, public facilities. These defibrillators are designed to be used by persons completely unfamiliar with their use, and are equipped with step-by-step spoken directions for their use.

Posted by Cullen, Florida on June 30, 2009:

When I was a police officer in Florida, I started a movement to get an ordinance passed to require all homes/driveways to be marked with an address. My adopted community of Union County, GA. has started a huge effort to readdress all roads, etc. in the county using a system designed to help first responders, even non-residents, find a location in an emergency.

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We have found resistance to that in our community. People don't want their addresses changed, no matter what the rationale. We have side streets with the same name as the main road, some random addresses (instead of orderly progression), a mix of odd and even numbers on the same side of the street, etc. It's a nightmare, and actually fairly expensive (in paid workhours) to fix. We're slowly making progress, but it causes delays in the meantime. I fear we'll have to have a spectacular failure (such as the death of a child) to get people to pay attention to the issue. -rc

Posted by Bill Moose Lake MN on June 30, 2009:

I worked in state institutions for over 25 years and know about emergency response. The State of MN has the blue and white address signs on every driveway. Our tax dollars at work for the common good.

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It's a good investment: it actually saves money as well as helps save lives. -rc

Posted by Tony, Japan on June 30, 2009:

Another Standing Ovation in front of my computer screen.

To give a different perspective, here in Japan everybody does CPR training (admittedly only one hour) when getting a driving license, on the grounds that you may be the first person to arrive at an accident scene.

I have never had to use it, but one week ago today I arrived home from work, and as I was fumbling for my keys to open the front door, I hear a sound like a bicycle falling over, followed by a few shouts that made me walk/run around the corner to see what had happened.

For the next few minutes I found myself standing over a young man who had been run over, reassuring him that the ambulance would arrive soon and reminding him that under no circumstances should he move, while two others directed traffic around him.

Since that was the entire extent of what I could do to help him, I felt pretty useless, but at least I think I did better than the half a dozen people who stood at the side of the road watching, (eventually a couple of people came out to talk to him and hold an umbrella over him since it was raining), and definitely better than the bastard who hit him, who apparently did not deem it necessary to stop.

On an aside, Japan has recently started putting AEDs in public places in the same kind of "break glass in an emergency" boxes as fire extinguishers, which is a good thing.

As regards MJ, one thing bugs me. The recording of the 911 tape had the following (paraphrased) interaction;

Caller: We're giving him CPR on the bed"
Operator: "You have to move him to the floor"

One thing they taught us in that one hour course was that CPR is ineffective unless you have a hard surface underneath the patient, as it does not compress the chest cavity. Surely the doctor who was present should have known this? Or is my understanding incomplete?

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Any doctor should know that, let alone a cardiologist (which MJ's doctor is, according to press reports). And don't minimize your participation in the hit and run: talking with the injured patient is very important, as is standing over him to ensure he doesn't get hit again. You did good! -rc

Posted by Laurie, Seaside, CA on June 30, 2009:

In rural Carmel Valley, CA, the volunteer fire department would deliver presents to children (their parents dropped the presents off at the fire station beforehand)--one guy got to dress as Santa Claus--which gave them practice finding addresses that were unmarked or down long driveways. They would look around at the addresses on the way to the lucky recipient's house as well. This project also reminded folk that we had a VOLUNTEER fire department, and of the importance of supporting the firefighter volunteers, besides offering the firefighters a big chunk of holiday fun showing up as Santa to all those little kids. It was a great idea.

Posted by Penny, Livermore, CA on June 30, 2009:

Once again, thank you for sharing your experience, strength, and hope and touching people that you will never know! Having grown up in a small farming community with a VFD, we were taught early about emergency first aid, but also respect and appreciation for the volunteers. Thank you, thank you, thank you to both you and Kim for your efforts on behalf of your neighbors and friends.

In addition to addresses so that emergency responders can find locations, I'd like to give a mention to the Vial of Life project (google "vial of life" for more information). This, too, can be a lifesaving tool . . . and it is free. Mine is taped inside the door of my refrigerator with a magnet on the outside letting emergency responders know where vital medical information is located.

Thank you for sharing the story with us (and to your email friends who encouraged you to pass it on). A story appropriate to your "Heroic Stories" eletter! ;-)

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Just to clarify, I have had nothing to do with the HeroicStories publication since 2003. -rc

Posted by Darryll in Pullman, WA on June 30, 2009:

I turned 50... on Monday! Not a good time to get the "I'm getting older" feeling as high-profile people your age are dying and you're thinking..."I wonder how MY heart is, though I've never had any problems or indication of problems...?"

I do really appreciate your service and especially your sharing about it. We have a special needs child and have "had to" work with a few EMT's (volunteer and paid) in our time. It's great to hear first hand about your end of the experiences that you are a part of. Thank you to ALL the volunteer EMT's who so selflessly help others in need!

Now - I think I'll go do some cardio... :)

Posted by Theresa, Port Orchard, WA on June 30, 2009:

Thanks for the inspiring story, Randy. Makes me nostalgic for the days when I volunteered at Broomfield Ambulance in Colorado. At the time, it was a fairly quiet community, but being so near to a major highway, we got our fair share of harrowing episodes, as well. I agree, it's a truly good feeling to know that you've helped someone, no matter how small or large that contribution was. Keep up the good work, and kudos to you and Kit!

Posted by Tom, Fairbanks on June 30, 2009:

Great story Randy. Congratulations on the save and thanks for your commitment to your community. There is a large semi-rural area outside the city here with many unmarked driveways and even unmarked roads. There was an effort some years ago that coordinated with a local sign company to encourage folks to get reflective address signs for their houses or driveways to speed the emergency response times. Of course that makes it easier for friends to find them too.

Posted by Linda, Louisville, KY on June 30, 2009:

Your stories make me miss my days as an EMT.

As for the Michael Jackson CPR situation - I heard that the doctor said he had placed one hand under MJ's back when he started CPR. That's means he was only doing one handed CPR on an adult on a bed since a hand wouldn't be a hard enough surface to press against. Basically useless. Since he did have a weak pulse when first found, I wonder if correct CPR had been started immediately, and continued until the ambulance arrived, if MJ might have survived.