Our speaker on November 19th was Walter Waganka of Medstar First Aid Services Inc.
Our speaker talked about Emergency Preparedness and First Aid – Walter is a retired firefighter, trained paramedic and auxiliary police officer and is currently doing a Masters in Public Safety and started out by asking us to remember the Mississauga Miracle of 1979 – when a train derailment resulted in zero deaths and only 1 injury (Mayor Hazel twisted an ankle). It is really important to prepare/plan for an emergency and as November is CPR month, this is a good time. Public spaces need 2 ways out, so check for that when entering. Emergency exits can be life savers.
In 2012, there were 7000 heart events a year in Ontario; by 2017, there were 785 cardiac arrests in KW where response in 8 minutes occurred in 577 cases. Survival rates drop for every minute after arrest by 10%. What to do? Call 911; do CPR by using only hands and pressing 1-2 inches down on victim’s chest at rate of 100 compressions per minutes (use ‘Staying Alive’ or ‘Row, Row, Row your Boat’ as examples). Some smart phones have an app called ‘pulse point’ that gives location of you and where to find a defibrillator. Currently there are 30 ambulances in Waterloo Region and 136 paramedics.
How to Help – education, take a first aid course, master fear of doing wrong – doing CPR as best you can (see above) is better than nothing. If you fear disease, use gloves (carry latex ones with you); if you fear legal action, note that The Good Samaritan Act will cover you provided your action is voluntary and there is no invoice for service.