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Local Emergency Responders Save Lives |
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by K Minnix
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Friday, 23 May 2008 |
Frank Towner and Theresa Witaker are no strangers to emergencies. That’s what they do, it’s what they’re trained for.
Both Towner and Witaker recently found themselves using the CPR/AED skills they’ve trained for. Towner, Associate Executive Director at the Ithaca YMCA and a Lansing volunteer firefighter has had to use CPR/AED twice in the last six months. Both unrelated incidents involved people who developed a heart arrhythmia after physical exertion. Towner’s response, “It’s just part of the job. I’m just happy that I had the skills to make a difference.”
Witaker, a Cornell employee and volunteer EMT, was called upon to use her CPR/AED skills when a visiting student collapsed in Sage Hall. “Fortunately, we had an AED handy in the newly renovated building so I was able to resuscitate him before the ambulance arrived. Every office or school building should be equipped with at least one AED,” she added.
On average, it takes first responders 10 minutes to arrive on the scene of an emergency. For many people that would be too late.
Local Red Cross officials say that you may be called upon to save a life, maybe even the life of your child or a friend. At least one person in every household and on every office or school floor should be trained and certified in CPR and how to use an AED in an emergency.
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