AED for the WGA?

[Scrappy ScoutParticipant]

I have been reading this thread and I find it very interesting to see everyones response. I am a Smoker (trying to quit) and a registered Boy Scout and I am also an Eagle Scout. I think it would be great if the WGA would sponsor a First Aid and CPR class for its members it has been years since I took the class and would like to get caught up and possible get certified. As for an AED i think we should talk to registered doctors that are apart of the WGA and get there opinion on if we really need one or not. But this is just my 2 Cents

[zumaParticipant]

I wonder if it might be reasonable to donate an AED to Gov Dodge State Park. I notice that some of the state parks in Minnesota have AEDs, and in discussing this with the Frontenac ranger in MN, some state parks do, and most do not, at least in MN. I wonder if anyone knows what the status of AEDs is in WI state parks? Some of the advantages of the state park owning the AED would be related to liability, integration with the local EMS system, and medical control.

As Sweetlife earlier mentioned, there would be issues with appropriate medical control if the WGA were to attempt to offer this service, so it may be better in many ways if the park owned the AED, which of course would be available to our membership as well as the general public.

As far as CPR education goes, I should disclose that I am a CPR instructor, and have taught CPR off and on for the past 30+ years, and trained paramedics for 10 years. I dont want to totally throw cold water on the idea of CPR training aimed at the geocaching community, because there is a lot of good in the idea. But, there are some significant logistical problems that would need to be addressed. Some of the issues that would need to be discussed would be related to training center affiliation, equipment access, duplication of a readily available training, and cost.

I guess of those issues, the most obvious is duplication of a readily available service. Every technical college system in the state already offers CPR training at a reasonable cost, and many hospitals also offer CPR training. There are also fire departments and county governments that offer CPR training, so it is not like there not already multiple options already out there to become CPR/AED trained if one is so inclined.

So what is the advantage of the WGA offering CPR training? If that question has a good answer, I would be willing to pursue this further.

Also, for discussion, it might be possible to develop a short course in “wilderness emergencies,” that could cover the medical emergencies most likely to befall hikers and geocachers. Besides CPR, reasonable topics might include first aid for bleeding, fractures, sprains, snake bites, bee stings and knowing how to recognize when it is best to contact EMS for bigger incidents like head trauma, stroke and heart attack.

Just some random thoughts, open for discussion.

zuma

[-cheeto-Participant]

Also, for discussion, it might be possible to develop a short course in “wilderness emergencies,” that could cover the medical emergencies most likely to befall hikers and geocachers. Besides CPR, reasonable topics might include first aid for bleeding, fractures, sprains, snake bites, bee stings and knowing how to recognize when it is best to contact EMS for bigger incidents like head trauma, stroke and heart attack.

And also tips for getting EMS to you when you happen to be a mile and a half from the nearest road…

I do not beleive an adult AED as the one’s typically seen in public can be used on a child but I will say that my family is one who may at some point have a forseen cardiac emergency. My daughter is a post open-heart surgery patient with continuing cariac needs and potentially more surgery down the road. She walks into a school almost every day that does not have an AED and has very poorly trained staff when it comes to medial emergencies. I am willing to bet based on many of the responses that we would be much “safer” at a geocaching event than her being in her own school. And that’s without an AED 🙂 Just my 2 cents…

I have not been to an official WGA event as of yet, but based on the numbers of people that turnout it might be in our best interest to pursue AED donations to the places that these events are frequently held at.

[TyeDyeSkyGuyParticipant]

😀 If something happens to me, just hook me up to your car battery with some jumper-cables. 😀

I’m not at all making light of this discussion, just making a joke. My family has a history of heart disease on both my father and my mothers side. Mother, Father, aunts and uncles, no grand parents though, odd. I lost a cousin to a heart attack about 20 years ago. He was a body builder and construction worker, not overweight, and didn’t do any drugs or drink. He died in his sleep of a massive heart attack. He was 23.

My own son had heart surgery when he was just 4 days old. You’d never know it now, he loves soccer, can run like the wind, and is one of the better swimmers I’ve seen.

These machine are becoming cheaper by the day. I see no reason why every school, office building and the larger public parks should not have one. I know that training is important. But if you are lying there dying, would you rather have an untrained person with good visual instructions provided with the machine, try to save your life. Or would you rather just wait 20 minutes with your heart stopped until the ambulance gets there?

I would bet that my 9 year old son, could pick up one of these machines, and use it correctly. I’ve seen the visual instructions that come with these things. They are straight forward and easy to use. The only problem I see is liability. No one wants to get sued, so no one provides the machine.

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