A [company] employee’s on-site CPR training saved the life of his six-year-old son, after a summer pool party quickly became a parent’s worst nightmare.
Last month, while chaperoning his six-year-old son, Timmy, and eight-year-old, Luke at a kid’s pool party, the unthinkable happened for Hot Strip Rolling Electrical Leader Jason [surname].
“I stepped away to text my wife, Tanja, for only a minute when I heard someone scream to call 911,” said Jason. “I walked over to see they’d just pulled my son, Timmy out of the water. I recognized his shorts first and then his cold, blue skin laying there with his eyes open completely nonresponsive. I didn’t have time to be scared, or fall apart. I was immediately focused on starting CPR compressions on him like I was trained to do. I was focused on saving my son.”
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure that can save a person’s life in the precious first few minutes of a life-threatening emergency.
This procedure combines chest compressions with artificial ventilation in an effort to manually preserve intact brain function until further measures are taken to restore spontaneous blood circulation and breathing in a person who is in cardiac arrest.
“There were several of us there who knew CPR who stepped forward,” said Jason. “I did compressions, someone did breaths and someone called 911 for help and kept them on the line. It was the perfect response. When his eyes moved and his color started coming back, we kept him on his side until the ambulance arrived shortly after to treat him and take him to the hospital.”
“It was a shallow water drowning. Just a shot of water in the lungs is all it takes. We had 20 adults only feet away, and 20 kids all around him just squirting water guns—and he just sank to the bottom. No screaming, no waving. His body just froze up. They said if we wouldn’t have done CPR like we did, he wouldn’t have made it. I have no doubt in my mind that the CPR training I received from Lead Plant Protection Officer [name] and other Plant Protection Instructors over the years, saved my son’s life.”
Recognizing the importance of knowing CPR and immediate emergency response, [company] provides an on-site CPR, First Aid and AED (automated external defibrillator) training course. Annual refresher training is required for all electricians and mechanics, and when space allows it is opened to other [company] employees interested in learning.
Although Jason’s refresher training wasn’t scheduled until August 8, a co-worker’s scheduling conflict left a spot open for Jason to fill in May. Fortunately, he completed this refresher course just two weeks before the pool incident occurred.
Jason’s son, Timmy is doing well and bravely taking swimming lessons this summer. For more information on swim safety, see this month’s issue of Wellness Matters.
NaturallyNat 