"CPR Activist Targets Kids as Emerging Heroes" by Julie Deardorff, Chicago Tribune, 7/3/05
fokalvay
Chicago Tribune July 3, 2005
CPR is one of those skills I've been meaning to learn for years. But
it wasn't until I began fishing life-threatening objects out of my
infant's mouth that I managed to get my procrastinating self into a
class.
It shouldn't have taken so long, especially because I've known of
Carol Spizzirri and her work for more than a decade. But Spizzirri,
the tireless founder of the Schiller Park-based Save A Life
Foundation, or SALF, doesn't bother nagging adults.
Her life mission, a crusade that began after her teenage daughter was
killed in a 1992 car accident, is to teach an entire generation of
children how to save lives.
Adults always think, "Why should I spend money to learn these skills
if it isn't going to happen to me?" said Spizzirri, of Grayslake.
"That's why we empower the children. By the time they graduate (from
high school), the skills should be so ingrained that it's like
brushing their teeth."
Spizzirri first lobbied to pass legislation requiring Illinois police
and firefighters--often the first
responders to an accident - to be trained in CPR, or cardiopulmonary
resuscitation, and first aid. The 1994 law also requires yearly
refresher courses.
Since then, the foundation's primary focus has been to teach America's
youth the importance of emergency lifesaving techniques. With support
and guidance from two of the most influential men in the field - Dr.
Henry Heimlich, the architect of the anti-choking maneuver, and the
late Dr. Peter Safar, a founding father of CPR - Spizzirri co-wrote an
age-appropriate training curriculum.
Firefighters and other emergency medical service professionals, who
have been recruited and trained to teach by SALF, are the ambassadors
who take the free program into public schools.
Since 1993, more than a million Illinois children from kindergarten
through 12th grade have been exposed to life-supporting first aid
skills through SALF. The youngest learn scene safety, how to contact
911 and bleeding control. The Heimlich and early heart attack care is
introduced in 3rd grade. CPR, to restore blood flow to vital organs,
is added in 6th grade.
Eventually Spizzirri wants teachers, coaches and bus drivers to know
CPR and for the skill to be mandatory in driver's education.
"These emergencies happen everywhere," said Spizzirri, a former nurse
who has been honored nationally for her leadership and activism. "If
we empower the kids with the training, they'll be able to do it and
embarrass the heck out of adults."
But there's no need to wait until you've been shamed by your 9-year-
old nephew's flawless chest compression demonstration or there's a
crisis at the local swimming pool, the neighbor's back yard or the
office. In addition to Save A Life (www.salf.org), both the American
Heart Association (www.americanheart.org) and American Red Cross
(www.redcross.org) offer convenient training classes.
Even if you've had CPR instruction, refresher courses should be taken
every two years, something that isn't happening at most Illinois
police departments, including Chicago's, Spizzirri said.
Most CPR classes also now incorporate training on automated external
defibrillators, or AED's. By July 2006, these nearly foolproof devices
that (unlike CPR) can jump-start a stopped heart, will be required at
all Illinois health clubs, school gymnasiums and park district
facilities.
The day after I discovered my son was secretly sucking on a small
stick, I signed up for a
comprehensive eight-hour class through the American Red Cross, which
included adult, child and infant CPR, first aid and AED training. It
was hands-on and hygienic; we breathed into the mouths of our own
personal mannequins through disposable plastic shields. Throughout the
day, I learned that choking adults should be given abdominal thrusts
instead of back blows, a practice that ended more than 10 years ago.
The class covered state Good Samaritan laws (taking an approved
training course protects dogooders from lawsuits) and AED precautions
(cells phones shouldn't be used with in six feet of the devices.)
But it wasn't just the technical information that was invaluable. The
confidence that comes with taking a class or having previous exposure
to equipment like an AED is a critical part of staying calm during a
crisis. And there's nothing better than knowing I can take action
should something happen to the most important people in my life, or to
total strangers. It was empowering.
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E-mail Julie Deardorff at jdear...@tribune.com
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