Re: Pondering AEDs

["Scott Colby" <scott scolby com>]

Hello all: new email address, but same Scott Colby!

I have been trained as a lifeguard for many years now, which has caused me 
to undergo several CPR/AED trainings. As Laura notes, modern AEDs are 
extremely easy to use and almost impossible to use incorrectly in a way 
that will hurt the responder or the victim as long as the instructions, 
which are provided verbally by the machine, are followed. However, if the 
first time you ever open an AED is  to use it "for real," you will have a 
more difficult time than if you had been trained and, in the case of a 
cardiac emergency, time is critical.

I do not know if there are AED trainings without CPR training these days. 
The trend over the last decade seems to have been to reduce the number of 
distinct trainings and to only train people to the higher levels--I have 
been told anecdotally by trainers that the older "easier" methods of CPR, 
etc. never turned out to be very effective. If Old North ends up 
purchasing/obtaining an AED, I would hope that a large enough subset of 
their employees and volunteers get trained in order that at least one 
trained member of staff is present at all times during public hours, but 
of course this is an even bigger ask than just getting the device.

As for getting the ringers trained, the CPR/AED classes I have attended 
have usually been a few hours in an evening. They are often bundled with a 
First Aid certification as well. In my area, the trainings ran in the 
$75-$100 range per person, which is a bit of a commitment. If the church 
were to do a group training, it might be possible to get a better rate by 
joining in with them. MIT might also have some opportunities for training.

If the church were to obtain an AED, and in the absence of other 
considerations, an organization like ours ought to get a couple (2-3) 
people who are regularly at practice trained. Perhaps the ringing master 
and tower captain could be asked to obtain the certification as part of 
their role in the tower. (And could have their training costs reimbursed? 
In a longer-term change of policy, this could be added to the 
constitutional definition of the role and maybe MIT would get on board 
with funding it.)

Of course this is easy for me to say since it's not my money or time that 
I'm advocating to spend, but I think pushing for an AED and training at 
Old North is a worthwhile endeavor. Although the likelihood of needing it 
is pretty low, when the day comes that you do need it, it'll be worth all 
the effort.

I hope all is well.

Scott



On Tue, Apr 16, 2019, at 12:11, lauradi rcn com wrote:
>  I have long wished that Old North owned an automatic external 
> defibrillator (AED), part of my plan to be sure that nobody ever dies in 
> the ON ringing room (where plan in this case means a combination of 
> wishes and actual simplistic plans). The policy there is that calling 
> 911 will bring someone with suitable equipment to help. I hope that it 
> is still true that all BPD cars have an AED, not just ambulances. Ed & 
> Bryn and I talked about this recently, when we were chatting about 
> money. I think the church should spring for it, but could/should we 
> donate one if not? Would we have a training session? Most CPR courses 
> nowadays include AED training, but maybe we could get Adin to do a short 
> one without going through a formal class? The automatic part of the name 
> is supposed to indicate that an untrained person could use it, but 
> training is supposed to make one better at it. At service ringing on 
> Sunday, Danielle brought up some good questions, like how is it powered 
> - battery, but are they constantly plugged in to recharge, or would we 
> be responsible for proactively changing batteries regularly? 

>  Sunday was a pleasant day for a walk, and I had hours free between 
> lunch and being back at ON for the lantern service ringing, so I spent 
> some time walking the Freedom Trail, trying to learn about the AED 
> status of historical sites. I skipped the outdoor sites, presuming no 
> place to hang one. I was put off by the scaffolding all over Faneuil 
> Hall, unsure whether it is open during construction.

> Old State House: their policy is like Old North's - no AED, call 911. 
> Their first aid box has bandaids, more or less.

> Old South Meeting House (not to be confused with Old South Church): They 
> have an AED, but not everyone has been trained. The untrained staff 
> people have been told not to try to use it.

> Chipotle (used to be the Old Corner Bookstore, and is still on the 
> official FT guide): None in plain sight, although it might be in the 
> kitchen. They were quite busy and I didn't want to hold up sandwich 
> production, so I didn't wait in line to inquire.

> King's Chapel: Have one. Only some staff people have been trained. More 
> might be trained the next time they have a CPR course.

> Park Street Church (on the official Trail. Regards itself as a church 
> only, not a historic site, despite all the historic events in its past):

> Yes - if one goes in the side/official door, there is a desk on the 
> right with a staff person. The AED is clearly labelled with the kind of 
> sign one sometimes sees in public buildings. Of the two people at or 
> near the desk, one has been trained, the other not.

> State House: not open to tourists on weekends. I have been there as a 
> tourist and to talk to representatives, but I don't remember about AEDs.

> USS Constitution and (privately owned) Constitution Museum: I asked 
> former educator Bernard, who was at ON as a greeter for the Lantern 
> Service, because he works at the museum. He said that the NPS rangers at 
> the Charlestown Navy yard all have AEDs in their cars, so there is no 
> AED at the museum. I didn't go to Bunker Hill, but since they are part 
> of the NPS, maybe they also rely on the rangers. I hate the thought of 
> someone bringing on a heart attack climbing all those steps. 

> 

> Laura Dickerson

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