An idea to guys in every division: CPR training for every team? It could save more than one of our lives.
I got the idea thanks to a note that Tommy Smith posted a story a week or so ago about a friend and teammate, Mike Bisner, manager of the 33+ Padres, whose quick thinking and CPR training, recently saved a young woman's life.
Applause to Mike for his actions and to Tommy Smith for telling us about it. TV Channel 13's story on the rescue is posted at the bottom.
Mike's action got me thinking: Why not offer hands-only CPR training to every manager (and with him, co-manager, and various interested teammates) in our league?
All the managers, 18 and up, meet twice a year: Once in the general November/December meeting and once more in mid-April, at a ball field, where John Reel gives out balls, scorebooks and updates everybody on the latest rules.
I would think the April meeting would be a perfect time for all the managers (and other teammates who'd like to come along) to get the CPR training.
I contacted the Red Cross to learn if they could offer a brief class to a group of us in this and it turns out, they can, it's free and it takes 20 minutes. It's called "Citizens' CPR."
Below, too, is a note I got from Oscar Paul, who's in charge of hands-only CPR training for the Red Cross:
"Hey Mike -
"I would be happy to help. I can get someone to present Hands-Only CPR. So, this does not include the breathing, only compressions. This is very much a life-saving skill and can be taught in less than 20 minutes. Please give me a date, time, and location and I will put you on the schedule to receive the training.
"Best, Oscar Paul
Disaster Preparedness Specialist American Red Cross Eastern New York Region (518) 694-5154 Office (518) 801-3347 Cell oscar.paul@redcross.org www.redcross.org/eny
Heart attacks and strokes can happen at any age though guys who are not in the best shape, playing in hot weather, under stress, might be more likely candidates - and CPR can be the difference.
Some years ago, one of our players, then in the 33 division, had a near heart attack and had to be taken from a game to the hospital. Fortunately, he survived and fortunately he's still playing today.
I advocated then that it would be wise if we could somehow have a defibrillator stored at every game, and have, too, someone with training, very likely the manager and one or two other players, at each game. But good AED's, as they're called, start around $1,000 and the fact is, since we don't have our own fields, we really don't have any secure place to store them.
But now, Mike's actions - and the story by Channel 13 - shows how crucial CPR can be to saving lives. The victim may not respond consciously to CPR, but CPR's pumping action on the chest keeps the blood and oxygen going to the vital organs, which means the stricken person can stay alive until professional help arrives.
So what you guys think? League-wide CPR training in April? It'd be free and it might save some lives.
-Mike
CHANNEL 13 TELEVISION:
July 10, 2018 07:17 PM
ROTTERDAM -- Mike Bisner is general manager at Tecta America WeatherGuard in Rotterdam. He was leaving the office recently when he saw a woman who had collapsed. Her friend was on with 9-1-1. He started hands-only CPR.
"I was probably doing chest compressions, it felt for 20 minutes, but it was probably three minutes to five minutes. And she still was unresponsive, but I could feel that there was air being pumped into her," said Bisner.
When the ambulance arrived, Bisner says the woman's friend called for Narcan, which is used to combat opioid overdoses.
NewsChannel 13 went to the American Heart Association in Albany, where paramedic Jack Bevilacqua showed us how to do hands-only CPR, which is without mouth-to-mouth.
First, you should look around for any safety hazards, he said. Then, tap on the shoulders and look for signs of life, and get 9-1-1 on the phone right away.
"Now you want to get into position -- get into a comfortable position -- align just below the nipple line, right over the sternum," said Bevilacqua.
Using the heel of your hand, push down and pump hard.
"By doing CPR, that keeps the oxygen going to the heart and to the brain until we can get the heart restarted or jumpstarted," said Bevilacqua. "CPR, when something goes down, is like the foundation of building a house. Without CPR, nothing else works, none of the drugs work, the medicine that people do, intubation. CPR needs to happen for everybody who goes unconscious and unresponsive and doesn't have a pulse."
He says it's important to keep going, "at that rate, 120 a minute, until somebody comes and relieves you. Those are the skills. That's what saves people's lives right there."
Bisner says the woman came back later to say thank you for saving her life.
"It was nice," said Bisner. "It was really cool to be able to say I saved somebody. So it was a good feeling, very good feeling."
Bisner has had some training; Tecta America has a safety day with CPR education every two years.
These are good thoughts, Mike. And you are a good man for thinking them. I'm not sure that a managers-only meeting in the answer, but you are right in identifying the problem.
It might be something that teams need to think about: "Who here knows CPR?"
I wonder if there's a good, short, instructional video out there that we could embed on the site?
I volunteer with Red Cross and know Oscar. With advanced planning, and an extra half hour between games, he can train 4 teams and the umpires at the same time. Two teams who just finished, and the two ready to play. Suggest telling the last two teams the game is 1/2 hour earlier than it is so they dont blow it off.
Hey Jim & Tom: Glad you guys replied. Here's more on CPR.
Jim, if people go to the Youtube site: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_49wMpdews, they'll see a 1 minute, 11 second video by the American Heart Association on hands only CPR.
There are other CPR videos on youtube, some involving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation with hand pressure. They're all at "Youtube + CPR."
And you're right, it would be good if everybody in the league not only watched the videos once, but gave themselves refreshers regularly. Say, watching it twice or three times a summer. In the moments following a heart attack or stroke, rescuers can panic. So the more they see and internalize the practice the better. I was a lifeguard for four years and got the training every summer.
Tom, Oscar's been quite helpful with his information and I think your idea is a good one. The upside to your idea, having training at games, is that it would get everyone from the managers to the guys at the end of the bench involved. Obviously, it would take several weeks for this to be done, so then maybe it would make sense for one central group, say the board, to schedule the trainers' visits? Really good idea. Hope you, or another board member, can swing it.
BTW, I asked Oscar if he'd ever played hardball. Turns out he did in high school and then intramurally at Florida State. I said he and a friend or two might want to consider joining up next year. He sounded interested.
So maybe a little push from a friend at the Red Cross?
Would be more of a commissioner/Mark Fitch thing. Build 30 minutes extra between games. Umpires would need to agree, but they get the training too. Not sure if doable with 33 division DH since most fields have curfew during the week.
Board doesnt really get into the daily routine, but some may be willing to help out
Might be a good idea to find out who on each team is already CPR certified. Many of our jobs provide instructions to their employees. *CPR next to their name on the roster. Additional training can me offered to those who want it.
Having an AED (automatic external defibrillator) available, would increase survival during a medical emergency. Note: No training is needed to operate one of these, Just turn it on and the instrument talks you through it. I know cost would be an issue, but something else to think about.
-- Edited by PJalst on Monday 30th of July 2018 07:57:26 AM
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