Get Ready, Get Set ...

"It can't happen to me."

At one time or another, we've all said those words. The truth is - stuff is always happening - and it's happening to someone who spoke those very words.

Preparing for the unexpected isn't something we put on our To Do list. It's not like laundry or dishes that demand our attention on a regular basis.  It's not something that gnaws at our subconscious reminding us to, Be Prepared!  But when the unexpected happens, catching us unaware ...well, then it's in the forefront of our every waking thought. It demands our complete and undivided attention.  "If only we'd thought of that sooner" becomes the new mantra.

Humans have the wonderful ability to put off until tomorrow what doesn't need done today. But when it comes to disaster preparedness, we must think today about what we'll need tomorrow.  Time and again I hear people, especially here in Ohio, say - "Oh, we're not the target of any terrorist threat, we don't have earthquakes or hurricanes - what's the point of preparing for something that'll never happen?"

Let's take a look at Ohio and what we have happening. Ice and snow storms. Flooding and yes, we even have earthquakes. A 5.4 magnitude quake shook western Ohio in 1937 and as recently as March 17, 2011, a magnitude 2.6 quake rattled the morning coffee cup.
For a complete history of Ohio quakes, click here.

And what about personal disasters?  Can you imagine your home burning to the ground, your possessions fueling the all-consuming blaze?  I'd call that a disaster.

So, even here in "safe" Ohio, we're under threat of debilitating winter storms, crushing ice storms, fire, severe flooding, tornadoes ...oh my, what can we do?!

About the climate and weather, nothing. What we can do is prepare ourselves as best we can to help mitigate the impact to our property, our family, and ourselves. The good news is that we can do a lot in this area. Whether it's a weather disaster, or a personal crisis we are responsible for how we react and respond. Wouldn't it be nice to have some tools in our toolbox to aid and support us through this trying time?

There are numerous ways you can acquire those "tools".  Attending a safety seminar at your local firehouse is a great way to learn how to keep your home and family safe. Fire safety personnel are a fantastic resource for fire safety information and are more often than not happy to share fire safety tips. Do you know how to use a fire extinguisher?  What size fire can you safety extinguish? What type of extinguisher goes with which type of fire? Wouldn't it be nice to know the answers to these questions before you NEED to know the answers to these questions?  Here's a quick 2-minute video to help you with some of those answers:

Ok, so now we've thought about fire, but there's still so much to think about and prepare for!  I know, it's a lot to deal with all at once, but that's the good thing about preparedness - you don't have to do it all at once. A little bit of attention a little bit at a time can build you a physical and psychological tool kit you'll be able to draw from when the need arises. That's the good news. But you have to start. And you have to start now.

The first step in learning what kind of disasters to prepare for might be to learn your city's hazard profile. Often, your state EMA can help you with this question. As an example, flooding and tornadoes are of particular concern here in Ohio. While you can't predict what type of disaster you'll have to deal with, you can always prepare. And preparation helps prevent panic.

There are a ton of resources to help you with the planning and preparing part. Often the hardest part is sifting though the mountain of information out there. Some sites lead you to believe that when it comes to disaster preparedness, anything less than a fully stocked underground bunker is pointless. That's just not true. You want to think ahead to what you'll need to keep you and your family alive and well should say, you're snowed-in and can't leave your house for three days. Or, what's my family's plan if there's a home fire? The questions you ask now and the plans you make can mean the difference between a struggle for survival versus safe, sustainable living through the trouble.

Start thinking about what you use on a daily basis. What you can and couldn't live without. A great exercise is to pack what you think you'd need to survive for three days - and live off that. Take it a step further and live from your pack outdoors for a time. Not a big fan of camping? Wouldn't it be better to see what it's like when you don't have to live that way versus when you're left with no option?

Finally, remember you don't have to do everything all at once. I do hope this gets your thinker thinking and maybe puts disaster preparedness on your To Do list.  There's a ton of resource material out there to help you, but whatever you do, make sure your plan fits you, your family, your circumstances. Planning and practice helps prevent panic.  Make the decision to be one of the folks who come out the other side saying, "We had the right tools when we needed them. We made it."

Here are some useful links to preparedness supplies you'll want in your pack:
Triangular bandages
Elastic bandages
Emergency blankets and bags
First Aid kits
Nitrile gloves
CPR barriers and masks

Click here to prepare, plan and stay informed with the help of Ready.gov.

Read on for a great save story from today's guest blogger - Robin



 FIRST AID LEARNED TOGETHER LASTS FOREVER!!

While on a camping trip many years ago, 12 year old Carl tripped while playing. A toy gun he had been holding stabbed into the side of his head. His 13 year old brother Chris made him lie down and stay still, and immediately applied pressure in order to stop the bleeding. While protecting the wound, Chris radioed for help. (They were in a remote area). Help arrived in the form of brother #3, Charlie.

Charlie quickly inspected the wound. The skull was exposed, which is truly frightening, but they knew what to do. Charlie and Chris bandaged Carl's head and headed for the nearest hospital. Carl walked into the emergency room with a brother on each side, and as is frequently the case, had to wait....and wait....

When the Dr. finally decided to treat Carl, he was astonished at the severity of the injury, and complimented Chris and Charlie on the expert care and bandaging job. They had superficially looked at Carl upon arrival, and due to the good bandaging and the fact that he had walked into the hospital, they did not think that the wound was serious (even though they had been told differently).

Now for the life lesson: Always carry a severely  injured person into the emergency room. If you carry the injured person, he or she will get treated much more promptly!

Don't be a deer in the headlights!

During my First Aid classes, I ask my students, "After witnessing a car accident, you choose to take action. During your scene survey and triage (prioritizing care for the injured individuals), you see three victims. A young woman screaming her head off about her broken arm, a middle-aged man standing quietly over by the curb looking disoriented, swaying, clearly having vomited, and an fidgety child playing with his PSP still securely strapped in his car seat.

Who needs your most immediate attention?"

Answers range from the amusing, "What PSP game is he playing?", to "the screaming chick obviously needs the most help. She's noisy." Still, most are surprised by the answer.

In this case, the squeaky wheel doesn't always get the grease. When prioritizing care for your patients  remember that if they're screaming, they're breathing. That simple fact is a crucial determining factor during triage since well, breathing is important. 

So, now we know the screaming women is breathing. Where should we look next? Some might turn their attention to the child. Pediatric patients can distract caregivers as we always want to save the kids first. While yes, their bodies are small, kids are resilient - they "bounce". They might not be as fragile as we think they are. Children haven't had the occasion to abuse their bodies as much as us older folks have, so no, don't neglect the injured child, but also don't let them draw your attention away from a possibly more injured person. 

Despite his unassuming stance, the gentleman standing by the curb needs our attention first. Barring drunkenness, his unsteadiness and expulsion of stomach contents are both telltale signs of head injury. A condition we, as lay responders or spontaneous rescuers, cannot successfully treat by ourselves. We need to care for this patient within our level of training and get them to definitive medical care pronto. 

Always, when you're checking your patient, keep this question in mind. What's going to kill them first? Rescuers, even seasoned professionals, can see severe bleeding and focus solely on that condition. But if they aren't breathing and have no pulse, is the application of the best pressure bandage going to save them?  Yes, severe bleeding must be addressed. We all stop bleeding - eventually, so let's treat before the system empties itself, but get it dressed and move on. 

Additionally, manage the scene through utilization of available resources. That will aid in the stabilization of both you, your patient and the situation. Ask bystanders to, "Please hold this here", to help apply direct pressure to bleeding wounds while you begin CPR. You'll find most people want to help, they just aren't sure what to do. Use them! 

Importantly, make sure someones called 911 or the local emergency assistance number.  How many times have I happened upon an accident scene minutes after the incident only to find everyone paralyzed by indecision. I ask, "Who's called 911?"  Silence. That's not a good feeling. Your patient's life depends on those precious minutes, and the clock starts ticking not when the ambulance arrives, but at initial injury. Give them the best chance for a positive outcome. If you do nothing else, make sure help is on the way.  

True, we won't always make the right triage decision. All we can do is think, act, and do our best with the knowledge we possess. Something is always better than nothing. Simply comforting the patient; letting them know you're there and that help is on the way does a world of good. So arm yourself with knowledge and the physical tools to perform your skills; the feeling of empowerment is amazing. You really can save lives.  

Learn to care for these conditions by participating in a CPR and First Aid class. Here are some useful links:
American Heart Association's Find a CPR class link. 
American Red Cross's Take a class link.
or Find a CPR class in your area by clicking here.

And to make sure you're ready with the right tools, visit our store.

Baked Potatoes

Often while walking down the street of our fair city during the winter months, I see homeless folks huddling in doorways, over steam vents and sewer grates doing anything they can to get and stay warm. My heart goes out to them as I cannot imagine their daily hardships, endured season to season. I don't, however, always feel comfortable giving them my loose change or just a dollar. I think, "How far can they get on a dollar? That's not enough to make a difference."

While I can't do everything for everyone, I can do one thing for someone.

So I started giving out space blankets. You know, the kind that make you look like a baked potato when you wrap up in them? While the majority of people already know how to use them, I also advise to wrap the woolen blankets others donate inside the thermal blanket to keep it dry.

The science behind the material is simple. As an insulating barrier, the blanket protects against some of the major ways we lose heat - by radiation of body heat and convection (think air moving across skin). It's not rocket science, even though the Mylar material is a by-product of the space age.

But their uses don't end when the weather turns warm. They can still keep you and your stuff dry in the Spring and Summer rains!

While I can't solve the complex issue of homelessness on my own, I can feel good about giving comfort to those less fortunate. My dollar seems to go a lot further and bring a bigger smile to the recipient’s face. Now that feels like a win-win to me.

Click here to view this product on our website.

It doesn't have to be a textbook save....

Ohio mailman has saved 3 lives

A perfect example of being in the right place at the right time ...with the right tools (knowledge) under your belt.

Welcome! And a little bit about us.

Hello and welcome! This blog is sponsored by the online retailer, MCR Medical Supply, http://www.mcrmedical.com/, and we're here to discuss CPR/First Aid topics, hoping to share some of our knowledge and practical field experience. Read on to learn a little bit about us and our company.

MCR Medical Supply, incorporated July 2008, was founded by the husband and wife team of Charlie and Karen Morrison. Both are seasoned CPR/First Aid instructors as well as instructor trainers.

In their capacity as instructors and instructor trainers, Charlie and Karen knew all too well the financial and logistic hurdles faced when trying to ensure students left class with the right tools to help save lives. While working with their local Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), they further recognized the desperate need to have supplies that were easy to use, worked well, and all at an affordable price.

Knowing the need was great; Charlie and Karen sought to help meet the needs of their CERT, their fellow instructors and the emergency response community as a whole. No small task, but their desire to "get quality supplies into the hands of more folks" coalesced into what became MCR Medical Supply, Inc.

Experience abounds in the education, disaster and emergency response fields for both Karen and Charlie. Most recently, Charlie, as former CERT Director and Karen, as former CERT Training & Education Officer, trained their county’s citizens in the Homeland Security program (CERT) designed to help individuals better prepare and respond to emergency situations within their communities.

Charlie volunteered many years with his local Red Cross Chapter’s Disaster Services Department. Volunteering countless hours as an on-call disaster response team leader, Charlie often responded to heart-breaking home fires, aiding families in their immediate need for shelter, food and clothing. Charlie’s remarkable ability to think through the entire problem, decide how to address the most urgent issues and then determine future needs was indispensable as he advanced to emergency shelter manager and Disaster Services Instructor.

Karen’s aspirations toward instructing began at an early age. As the daughter of a teacher, education and sharing her knowledge has always been part of her character. The American Red Cross provided a perfect venue to express her teaching desire. Graduating from volunteer to staff instructor to instructor trainer, Karen took an active role in program improvements. A member of the Chapter’s Quality Control audit team, she always looked for ways to better present crucial CPR and First Aid topics to students all while making sure they walk away from class confident with their knowledge and ready to respond in any emergency situation.

For Karen, emergency response was not limited to a classroom setting. With her background in teaching, level-headed thinking and years of study, joining her Red Cross Chapter’s First Aid Service Corps (FASC) was a natural choice. The FASC team provides support to medics of the Columbus Division of Fire. Working most major football, soccer and concert venues, the volunteers of FASC are the initial responders to patron medical emergencies. Being on the Response Team allowed Karen to bring her experience back to the classroom making for pertinent lectures and real world answers to student questions.

So, after many years of learning, teaching and teaching others to teach First Aid and CPR topics, Charlie and Karen were presented with the opportunity to provide the physical tools needed to help people act on their knowledge of how to save lives. Seeing this as a chance to make our communities safer, stronger, and better prepared to respond in any emergency situation, the web store was born.

Thank you for following! We hope to present topics and discussions aimed at real world first aid applications for everyday folk. We'll learn some things along the way to be sure, and perhaps empower someone to help save the life of a person in need.