Randy Cassingham's Blog

Posted by Brenda, Maryland on February 25, 2010:

I truly believe in training, and refreshers. I was an EMT for a year, a very busy year, but I can't say that I definitely, personally, saved someone's life. We had patients who we transported, stabilizing on the way. But I was the bag-carrier (an EMT to paramedics).

When people asked why I took the course, I always told everyone it was good training to have, you just never know when you need it.

I needed it on my Dad's birthday, it was many years since I was an EMT. He was choking on steak and I performed the Heimlich Maneuver. Didn't even think about it, just did it. Worked like a charm.

I'm sure there are many scenarios like this. And I thank my instructors and all trained professionals for everything they do!

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You likely saved your father's life. Good job! -rc

Posted by Dana, Texas on February 25, 2010:

I also "reverted to training" when I was on a mission trip and a friend was choking on a piece of steak. I am not an EMT, but I am a teacher and always thought it was important to be trained in CPR.

When my friend was trying to leave the room, I noticed her putting her hands to her throat. I walked straight through the questions and ended up performing the Heimlich maneuver because her airway was completely obstructed. We were both so grateful for the training!!

Posted by Lori, Sun Prairie, WI on February 25, 2010:

Recently my husband suffered from a low blood pressure as a reaction to his new blood pressure medication. I reverted to my first aid training and calmly called 911, including remembering to turn on the front porch light and sequestering the dog. When the EMT asked me about my husband's medications, I reached into the drawer where his meds are kept and presented the EMT with a printed list that I had just updated two weeks prior.

Yes, training in emergency preparedness is good. For me, it started in Girl Scouts many decades ago, and I've tried to keep up with it ever since.

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Having an up-to-date list of medications that the medics can take with the patient to the hospital is very helpful in an emergency. -rc

Posted by Mark from Ithaca, New York on February 25, 2010:

Thanks for the reminder to everyone of how important regular CPR training is. I've been getting recertified in CPR and AED every fall for years. I'd rather never need the training, but the repetition on Resusci-Annie makes it more likely I could use it if I had to.

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Taking the class over and over is a pain, but I guarantee you'll be glad you went through it if you ever have to actually do it on a real person. -rc

Posted by Tami in Redlands, CA on February 25, 2010:

I work in a Fire 911 dispatch center. I am not a dispatcher, but I spend time in dispatch, observing the calltakers and dispatchers. On first view, you would think, "Our lives are in the hands of these goofballs?" However, when a situation arises where they must get information, either from or to a caller, from or to field personnel, these "goofballs" are the best in the world. I hope if I'm ever in a situation where my life depends on the work of a 911 dispatcher or one of our firefighters, that I get one of these "goofballs". They are so well trained, and keep that training up-to-date, that I would be blessed to have them on my side.

Posted by Mike from Dallas on February 25, 2010:

Fascinating story about the slain officer. It's also the basis of those boring, repetitive katas, over and over and over again, in the martial arts. To build body memory so that when you actually need to defend yourself, you don't have to think about what your proper move should be.

Even though I've spent the last 15 years in the Tang Soo Do discipline, occasionally techniques from decades old Shotokan training will surface without thought. Body memory; revert to training.

Posted by Joan, Henderson, NV on February 26, 2010:

I took a CPR class a number of years ago because I wanted to know how to do it, not because of job requirements. I wanted to be a good citizen and help someone else, if necessary. It was a number of years later that I used the Heimlech maneuver on a coworker who was choking. It saved her, but I was in shock afterwards. If you're a not trained professional, it is a scary thing to have to do. But I did it, because it needed to be done and I was the only one there who knew how.

And in that first CPR class was the wife of a police officer. She told others in the class that she would never be able to perform CPR on her husband. We told her she would be the perfect person to help him if he had a heart attack at home. She said again that she could never do it, and nothing we said could change her feelings on this. I hope she never had to find out.

Posted by Roy, UK on February 27, 2010:

I had a situation at work a year or so back when I heard a thud as someone hit the deck in an epileptic fit (although nobody knew he suffered from epilepsy). The trained first aider was at lunch and the guy had swallowed his tongue so was suffocating. The lifeguard training I had as a child came rushing back and I forced his mouth open and gave him a straight, clean airway and kept him in the recovery position until the ambulance arrived.

During this time the first aider returned from lunch but declined getting involved and I was told I was lucky as I could have been sued for bruising the guys face when I forced his jaws open to help him breathe.

It was surreal to me as essentially I saved the guys life when nobody else would get involved but then I'm getting reprimanded for not following procedure and only letting the first aider deal with situations like this - go figure - they'd probably prefer a body on their hands!

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Just to clarify, no one can "swallow" their tongue. But when unconscious and unable to maintain your own airway, your tongue will flop back and block the airway, and a good first aid class will show you what to do to help without having to force anyone's mouth open (it's all in proper positioning). I agree it's stupid to whine about lawsuits, but that is a possibility in such cases, so think about getting some training so you can do it right and not have to worry about that. -rc

Posted by Jack, Pennsylvania on February 27, 2010:

I'd like to have you think about something: practice does not make perfect, practice makes permanent. If you practice something incorrectly, you will perform it incorrectly. Bad practicing does not make for perfect performance.

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I did say that, but not as succinctly. -rc

Posted by Bruce, Livermore, CO on February 27, 2010:

Even very old training can resurface. I was in my mother's assisted living facility's dining room when a resident, a near quadriplegic, began choking on a piece of meat. Though it had been years since my training, I approached the lady. The dining room attendant waved me off, but she was very light and slender and simply didn't have the strength to lift the lady out of her power chair far enough to get the proper position. I had to force her aside; the rest was easy. That was four or five years ago, and the lady is still living!