ASHI and MEDIC First Aid Blog

With Thanksgiving just a few days away, it’s the perfect time to say thanks to the ASHI and MEDIC First Aid students who have confidently stepped up to respond in an emergency. Please enjoy these Good Samaritan stories, submitted by our instructors.

MEDIC First Aid instructor Kerry Morrish of Advanced Safety & Drug Testing in Cheboygan, MI, shared a story about Daniel ‘John’ Davis, who called her to say thanks for the training he was able to use to save a life.

During a graduation ceremony, John became aware of a disturbance behind him. The lights were low due to a slideshow presentation, but when they turned them up, John didn't hesitate to jump up to help a grandfather of one of the graduates that was having a heart attack. Once he directed the gentlemen to the floor, John verified unresponsiveness, directed someone to call 911, and started the series of CPR compressions and rescue breaths.

John stated that he performed CPR for approximately 15-20 minutes before paramedics arrived. After three AED shocks, the grandfather came back to life.

With the exception of a sore chest and broken ribs, the gentleman is expected to make a full recovery!

ASHI instructor Samuel Scheller of Guardian Elite Medical Services in Las Vegas, NV, is celebrating his student Peter Steinbrenner, who had the confidence to respond and save the life of a co-worker. Peter emailed Samuel to let him know that:

I just performed my first CPR for real last Friday at work. I was first on scene, so I was the lead. I did an assessment and started CPR. We had a AED which arrived about 4 minutes after my request for it, and administered a shock on first cycle. By the time EMS arrived about 15 minutes later, the patient had a faint pulse and was breathing, though it was labored. It has been a tough few days since for them, but the individual is now sitting up in bed and talking up a storm.

Your class paid off!

Our last story comes from ASHI instructor David Patterson of the Virginia Division of Capitol Police in Henrico County, VA who told us about Sgt. Todd Wood:

Sgt. Wood, who was at home on May 30, 2018, recuperating from surgery, overheard a mother screaming for help on the road across from his home. Her six-year-old son had been riding his bicycle on the street when a neighbor’s Great Dane suddenly attacked the boy. The mother ran outside and started screaming “Help me! Help me!”

Sgt. Wood immediately responded, running outside to provide assistance. He saw how much blood loss the boy had from the dog attack, as well as how much damage the arm suffered from the dog bites. He took off his shirt and separated the boy from the dog and immediately scooped him up in his arms. He then took the child to the curb where it was safe and cradled him while applying pressure on the damaged arm to slow blood loss. He successfully kept the frightened child’s attention to help prevent him from going into shock.

Sgt. Wood continued care until EMS arrived to take the child to the hospital.

To these heroic students and all of our wonderful instructors who are dedicated to making their communities and workplaces safer, all of us at HSI offer our thanks. You make a lifesaving difference every day, and it’s our privilege to support you in that work.

If you have a student you would like to nominate for a Good Samaritan award, click the button at the end of today’s blog post. We’ll send you an ASHI or MEDIC First Aid Good Samaritan certificate to sign and pass along to your student.

Training Center directors – only a few days left to use your accrued Bot Bucks during our current redemption period! From November 12-23, 2018, spend your Bot Bucks on student completion packs and other HSI-produced materials. Log in to your TC Manager portal or call us at 800.447.3177 to place your order. Use promo code TURKEYBOT18 when ordering.

Thanksgiving holiday hours: The HSI offices and warehouse will be closed November 22-23, 2018. Orders placed after Noon Pacific Time on Wednesday, November 21 will be shipped Monday, November 26, 2018.