Our first presentation was held on March 3 in the clubhouse. It was a great success! There were more than 65 residents in attendance with another 25 on a wait list. The second session was scheduled for March 31, 2025.
B. Scott Roy, Captain, Shift Commander, who works for the Lee County Department of Public Safety, Emergency Medical Services was accompanied by another professional EMS, Tom Smith, who actually lives here in Country Creek.
There were two short videos (with thanks to Rafael Bonilla for the tech assistance). Scott then followed this up with a “How To” demonstration on the ten “dummies” that had been distributed around the room. Participants got a chance to perform CPR and save their dummy’s life. Next was the demonstration on several of the different types of AEDs now available, as well as how to perform the Heimlich maneuver on adults. Adaptations were described for the procedures on children.
Many questions were asked and answered, especially with regard to how many AEDs we have at Country Creek, and where they are located. Currently we have 4 working AEDs. The locations are as follows: main dining room, gym, clubhouse pool/cabana area, and the bathrooms at hole #9. More AEDs are needed. The tennis courts at the condos, and the 4 satellite pools should each have an AED. The chance of survival drops 7-10% each minute without CPR or defibrillation.
Nearly 90% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests are fatal. Being prepared with procedural knowledge and equipment will increase the chances of survival. To effectively respond to cardiac arrest, an AED needs to be accessible within a two-minute round-trip from where it is kept.
Here’s a quick synopsis of some of the information we learned.
STEP 1 Check for response: tap or gently shake victim; ask the victim loudly, “Are you OK?”
STEP 2 Call 911: have someone call 911 or call 911 yourself if you are alone; ask someone to find the closest AED
STEP 3 Compress : initiate hands-only CPR; push hard and fast; 100 times a minute; counting 1,2,3,4 can help you keep tempo.*
Breaking a rib is better than the alternative of doing nothing, which usually ends with a fatality. Anyone using an AED or CPR is protected by the Good Samaritan laws in the state.
* here are a few songs to help keep the beat: “Staying Alive” by the Bee Gees, “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor, and “Respect” by Aretha Franklin.
There are many more songs. The goal is to time your compressions on the person’s chest to the beat of the music, between 100 and 120 BPM.
