Our program last Friday (18th) was all about Fire District 7 and an update on the new District. Chief Kevin O'Brien (l), Deputy Chief of EMS Ron Rasmussen (c) and Public Information & Education Officer Heather Chadwick (r). Chief O'Brien, our esteemed Club Past President, reminded our Club that on January 1, 2020 the Lake Stevens Fire Service merged with Snohomish County Fire District 7. The new organization continues to operate under a balanced budget with over 36 years of audits and no findings by the State of Washington. All meetings are open to the public and are accessible. Currently all meetings are being held online. Access to the meetings and information can be found on their website.
The new Fire District provides fire and life safety service to over 162,000 people covering more than 140 square miles. The District responded to 17,000+ emergency calls in 2019. Stations are strategically located throughout the district for increased service. Their services include fire suppression and prevention; Emergency Medical Service (EMS), Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Life Support (ALS); ambulance transport; motor vehicle collision response; technical rescue; water rescue; hazardous materials response; disaster management and preparedness and public education.
Heather reviewed the education portion of the District's program. For grade school-aged students, they developed 13 lessons to teach fire and life safety messages while linking to grad- level learning standards. Free videos, instructor guides and enrichment materials are all online. The District partners with local organizations to help teach safety messages, be involved in civic events and community parades. The District is actively connected on social media.
Ron followed up with a Zoom demonstration of proper CPR methods and facts. Cardio-pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OCHA) facts were shared with our Club. 475,000 people die of cardiac arrest in the United States annually. More than 350,000 of cardiac arrests occur outside of the hospital. 70% of OCHA occur at the home and when bystanders administer CPR, 45% of out-of-hospital victims survive. Ron demonstrated Hands-Only CPR and the two-step method. Step 1 is to call 9-1-1. Step 2 push hard and fast in the center of the chest to the beat of a familiar song and aim for 100 to 120 times per minute. Ron demonstrated the process using a mannequin.
Great presentation. Hopefully, next year, all of this can be done at an in-person meeting.