Q. Do you guys train for emergency situations at the YMCA? I was on the track when the young man fell off the bleachers, and I saw the whole rescue.
A. Absolutely! I know that if we had not been trained as well and had not had an AED (Automatic External Defibrillator) the outcome would have been grim.
An AED is used to stop the fibrillation of the heart with the use of an electrical current. We also did CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), a manual method to keep the heart pumping in an emergency.
I am proud to be part of the YMCA staff. Rowan County YMCA puts the utmost emphasis on keeping our members safe. As most of you know, I am at the J.F. Hurley Family YMCA branch. I know it is aggravating to our members when we do our emergency drills, but as the incident two weeks ago showed, these drills pay off. We saved a life!
I want to especially thank Linda Broadway, who directs staff development and Special Olympics. She takes her job very seriously. When she teaches the CPR/AED course she does not just pass you because you were there. She prepares you to step up to the plate when the time calls for it.
I have been CPR certified since 1982. Each year in college, I had to re-certify. However, as soon as I graduated, it was not mandatory to stay certified. Even when I came to the USA in 1988, not all fitness facilities where I was employed made it mandatory to be current on CPR. Not all fitness certifications require you stay current, but YMCA USA does. To be on staff at the Rowan County YMCA you have to be CPR/AED and First Aid certified (among other mandatory trainings).
As a team, we barely had to speak to each other ó we simply all did our jobs. Even though Linda was on the Splash Pad, she was right there with us. We all knew what to do. It was like going through a drill. The amazing thing is that our last drill had been for exactly the situation we encountered: victim down, no pulse, no breathing. It took place on the track and I was one of the rescuers then too, among others.
A place as big as our YMCA will have numerous emergency situations. With so many people using it, the chance of an emergency happening does increase. We are ready for when it happens and hope and pray that each outcome will be successful.
The great news is that we are adding another AED. Years ago when we were still at our old facility on Fulton Street, our local cardiologist, Dr. Brian Fazia so graciously donated an AED to our YMCA. At that time we were not able to purchase an AED (which cost $1500-$2000 and up).
“I guess you know all the people with heart problems?” I asked him. He said they are not the ones he’s worried about (because they already get care); it’s the ones who have no clue that they have heart problems that he worries about.
I hope each public place will have an AED available and have staff trained to use it. To everyone, get CPR/AED certified. You never know when you need it….
Our local Red Cross chapter will be more than happy to help you with that. Their phone number is: (704) 633-3854
Contact Ester Marsh with health and fitness questions at 704-636-0111 or email her at emarsh@rowanymca.com.