Arcadia Police Department Purchase 35 LifeVac Devices
October 10th, 2024 by admin
The Arcadia California Police Department has taken a proactive step in enhancing public safety by recently purchasing 35 LifeVac devices. LifeVac is a portable, noninvasive airway-clearing device designed to help officers respond quickly and effectively to choking emergencies. It has the potential to save lives when traditional methods like the Heimlich maneuver and back blows do not work.
This initiative underscores the department’s commitment to community well-being by equipping officers with critical tools that can be deployed in life-threatening situations. By providing patrol vehicles with LifeVac, Arcadia officers are better prepared to assist residents, businesses and visitors in the community during emergencies involving airway obstructions.
As of 10/08/2024, LifeVac has saved 2,916 lives. That is 2,916 families also saved and their communities saved from the heartbreak of a choking death. A child dies from choking every five days in the United States alone, which is a sobering statistic, and 13 adults die each day from choking.
The National Safety Council says choking is the fourth leading cause of unintentional death. Food often is responsible for choking incidents in the elderly, but it can occur at any age. It’s also a leading cause of unintentional death in infants.
Knowing how to handle choking incidents can save lives. Here is a summary of the DO’s and DON’TS in a choking emergency, which is critical to know if such a choking episode occurs. DO NOT PANIC!
- DO encourage the person to try to cough to dislodge the object causing the choking.
- DO look for inability to talk, difficulty breathing, or noisy breathing. These often are signs of choking.
- DO call 911 immediately
- Unfortunately, time is of the extreme essence as brain damage can occur within 5 minutes of a complete airway obstruction and death can occur within seven minutes.
- DO a “five-and-five” approach to deliver assistance, per the American Red Cross.
- This includes five back blows first. Stand to the side and just behind a choking adult. For a child, kneel down behind them. Place one arm across the person's chest for support. Bend the person over at the waist so that the upper body is parallel with the ground. Deliver five separate back blows between the person's shoulder blades with the heel of your hand.
- Then follow with five abdominal thrusts, also known as the Heimlich Maneuver. Stand behind the person. Place one foot slightly in front of the other for balance. Wrap your arms around the waist. Tip the person forward slightly. If a child is choking, kneel down behind the child. Make a fist with one hand. Position it slightly above the person's navel. Grasp the fist with the other hand. Press hard into the abdomen with a quick, upward thrust — as if trying to lift the person up. If this approach fails… then
- DO if still no response and ambulance has not arrived yet, use a LifeVac. LifeVac is a portable, non-invasive, simple to use device which has recently been studied to resuscitate a choking victim when standard maneuvers fail. The LifeVac facemask fits over the nose and mouth attached to a plunger with a one-way valve. When you push down on the plunger air is pushed out the sides and not into the victim, and when you pull back on the plunger negative pressure suctions the obstruction out of the airway. Put the facemask over the nose and mouth to create a seal, push down and pull back with force. The object should come back into the mask.
- Click here for a brief LifeVac training video. https://www.thetechnologydepot.com/lifevac
- DON'T delay in calling for emergency services before you take action yourself, or have someone else call for first aid.
- DON'T ask them if they're ok. Instead ask them if they are choking.
- DON'T put your fingers in their mouth - they may bite you accidentally and it could further lodge the object in the trachea.
- DON'T slap a choking person on the back while they are upright - gravity may cause the object to slip further down the trachea (windpipe).
- DON'T start CPR by giving breaths if they become unconscious - pushing on the chest with compressions FIRST may push the object out as muscles relax when a person becomes unconscious.
- DON'T pick up the child and turn them upside down.
How Can I Prevent Choking?
You can prevent choking in adults with these safety measures:
- Cut food into small pieces.
- Chew food slowly and thoroughly, especially if wearing dentures.
- Don't laugh and talk while chewing and swallowing.
- Don't drink lots of alcohol before and during meals.
You can prevent choking in children with these safety measures:
- Keep marbles, beads, thumbtacks, latex balloons, coins, and other small toys and objects out of reach, particularly in children younger than 4 years old.
- Prevent children from walking, running, or playing when they have food and toys in their mouth.
- Don't feed children younger than age 4 foods that can easily get lodged in the throat. This includes hot dogs, nuts, chunks of meat or cheese, grapes, hard or sticky candy, popcorn, chunks of peanut butter, or raw carrots.
- Supervise mealtimes with young children.
- Prevent older siblings from giving a dangerous food or toy to a young child.
- Avoid feeding a child in a car seat
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