DLSC Members Teach Kids About EMS
On September 27, Danville Life Saving Crew members traveled to the Olde Dominion Agriculture Complex in Chatham to discuss the importance of a career in EMS. During the SOVA Career Choice Youth Expo, crew members spoke to hundreds of middle and high school students about joining the emergency medical field.
Though DLSC is a volunteer organization, it opens the door for future careers and is an excellent resume builder. By volunteering with the Crew, members receive free training and experience that will allow them to prepare for becoming a nurse, physician assistant, doctor and other medical professionals.
While at the Expo, Crew members also showed students how to perform CPR, tie a tourniquet and use an Epi Pen.
"It's more likely that you'll need to use CPR on a loved one," Paramedic Jim Mullins said as he showed students how to press down on the chest of a CPR mannequin.
During the two day expo, hundreds of kids learned firsthand how to respond to a situation where someone is unconscious. Students were taught to call 9-1-1 for help and immediately begin chest compressions if the person is not breathing.
Two student volunteers then began practicing CPR. While one students performed chest compressions on the mannequin, the second student turned on a training AED and placed pads on the mannequin to administer a shock.
Students were then taught how to handle bleeding. If a wound is so severe that applying multiple pads and pressure does not stop the bleeding, kids were showed how to cut off blood circulation.
"Soldiers and police officers carry these," Paramedic Josh Rife said, holding up a tourniquet, "Place it two inches above the wound and tighten it around your arm or leg until its very tight." Tourniquets can also be created by using a belt, bandanna or strip of fabric.
Crew members enjoyed helping students become more aware of how to respond in an emergency situation. They invited students to apply for Junior Membership at DLSC. Students can join the Crew at 16 as a Junior Member before going through the steps to become a regular member at 18.
Top Left: Recruitment/Retention Captain April Campbell poses with students. Middle: Pictured from left to right, Paramedic Josh Rife, Paramedic Jim Mullins, Recruitment/Retention Captain April Campbell, Public Information Officer Erin Gusler. Bottom: Mullins shows students how to use the CPR mannequin.
