Randy Cassingham's Blog

Posted by JoAnn, Hot Springs, Arkansas on June 30, 2009:

Inspiring story, Randy. Kudos to you and your team for recognizing a need and stepping up to the plate to fill it.

I recently received my CPR/AED/First aid certification and also started working for my local Red Cross chapter. When I read your story, it reminded me of one of our mini "missions" - to have at least one CPR certified person in every home.

So additional kudos to the man's daughter who will have a sweet tale to share with her grandkids when she's old and gray. BTW, if by chance, she was certified thru the Red Cross, she may be eligible for our national "Heroes" award.

Posted by Rachel, Australia on July 1, 2009:

Thanks for posting the story. I actually started a first aid course today (two day one, covers everything from burns, CPR (including the defib) to heart attacks), although it wasn't quite inspired by your post (I had booked it last Friday). But your story really has inspired me to actually go out and do something more, like actually volunteer at the red cross or start giving blood.

Thanks for that.

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And thank you! -rc

Posted by Dave in Wake Forest North Carolina on July 1, 2009:

In our rural area we offer reflective address markers at a very reasonable cost and try to encourage people to purchase one. It really makes a difference, especially in the middle of the night. It's also worth noting that the problem of locating addresses is not limited to rural areas. Many times it can be just as difficult in the city!

Posted by Neal, Worcester, MA on July 1, 2009:

I hate to say it, but sometimes living in a city with a well staffed EMS/Fire department does not always mean you will get a quick response.

A few months ago my future mother-in-law had a bad attack of A-Fib, and we had to call for an ambulance to get her to the ER. The driver had trouble finding the road we are on, even though it has all the signs. Thankfully, she did not need any lifesaving care, but it still scared me to hear the driver commenting randomly "oh, I never knew this road existed."

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I used to drive an ambulance in San Francisco. Every day I went to a street I had never heard of before. That's what maps are for. And in fact, the call I wrote about here was on a road I couldn't have told you where it was based just on its name, and I had never been on it before. Dispatch told us the cross street, which headed us the right direction, and the map told us the rest. It's not rocket science.... -rc

Posted by Rick Canton, MA on July 1, 2009:

A great story. I'm teaching CPR in 2 weeks and I would like to use your call to reinforce the usefulness of timely AED intervention.

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Feel free to tell them the story, and/or give them the URL to get "the whole thing." -rc

Posted by Rich, Alta Loma, CA on July 1, 2009:

I have had the good fortune not to need the CPR training I have had for 31 years now. A few years ago AED's were installed in our workplace. Since I work around High Voltage equipment, my employer offers CPR training on a recurring basis; but, since we had AEDs, the outside trainers wanted to omit the classic CPR training. I raised cain citing that something like 80% of our lives are spent away from the AEDs. The company safety specialist hosting the training session agreed with me, and we got the classic training as well.

Oh, and let me pass along an anecdote about "not stopping." My predecessor in the broadcast engineering business had a heart attack many miles from any medical assistance. His wife threw him in the back of their station wagon and drove like crazy. He was later heard to say "I thought she was going to kill me;" since every time she hit a bump in the rural road, his heart would "hurt like hell" as it beat once or twice in response to the pounding. CPR may not have any obvious effect, but it may be "just enough."

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As you realized, you cannot depend on the AED to do it all; CPR is also necessary. And, in fact, the AED will say "Start CPR" quite a bit. Seeing how actors do it on TV isn't enough, since they're faking it. You need to do it on a dummy to understand how hard to push, and you need someone who is trained to be a trainer to correct you when you're not doing it quite right (most do it too shallow, and too slowly). There's just no substitute for actual training. There is also nothing like doing it on a real person to really get it. Trust me on that: I've done it on many dozens of real people. -rc

Posted by Len, Illinois on July 3, 2009:

Why don't ambulances use the "NEW" GPS devices? Supposedly you can put in an address and it tells you where to turn?? I've never used one, just wondering If they are used.

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Many do, but the crew has to know what areas they're weak in, because the quality depends entirely on how accurate area maps are. And in our area, the maps aren't just "poor", they suck. Example: to get from the house in this story to the hospital, it tells you to turn on a road that doesn't even connect to mine. It "thinks" it does, but it doesn't. It's so bad that they actually slow you down if you're not careful by causing wrong turns. -rc

Posted by Teresa, MO on July 3, 2009:

I am a first responder. I have used the AED twice, the first was a 'save' a 16 YO who had taken some of his fathers RX meds (given BY HIS FATHER). It was the first save in the county after we received AEDs. All of my children know CPR from going to the classes with my husband and myself (they can't be certified in the same way I am) but have used some of the skills learned while attending classes with us. They have been attending these since they were very young and now between the ages of 14 and 26. Children are capable of learning basic first aid and CPR. Use your best judgment regarding your own child's development and abilities.

Posted by D, NH on July 3, 2009:

One day when my daughter was a baby, she got something in her mouth and started choking on it. My wife got there first, but panicked because she didn't know what to do. I took the baby from her, and got the item out of her mouth, using what I had recalled from various training I had gotten as a teenager. She signed us up for "Infant CPR" the next day and we both got trained, in case it happened again (it didn't).

New parents - don't wait. Get trained. The first one on the scene is YOU.

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Hear hear. That should be completed before birth. -rc

Posted by Michael - Anaheim, CA on July 3, 2009:

My employer has offered CPR classes for several years and has installed public-access AEDs throughout our properties nation-wide. Fortunately, as a first responder, I've never had to perform CPR. When the day does come, though, I'll be able to utilize my training. The machines are of such value that I've been kicking around buying one to have at home.