FIRST AID at the DCs

by tresdecu 19 Replies latest jw friends

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  tresdecu

  The thread about the old woman who died at the assembly got me thinking about how first aid is run at the conventions. For many years I worked as an attendant, we were always instructed that, if there is a medical emergency to contact first aid and not to call an ambulance directly from the location. In the age of cell phones it made much more sense to me to call 911 right away (for serious emergencies) , if it's a stroke or heart attack time is critical. To sit there while a person is having a life threatening emergency and wait 10 min. for the 21 y.o MS who has a 'first responder' card makes no sense. In my mind they are liable for that direction. I think that could be a lawsuit waiting to happen...especially that there is documented direction from NY to NOT call 911...and call the untrained "brothers" in 1st Aid! (maybe some are trained, but they don't supply any lifesaving equipment)

  Any opinions? Maybe someone who has worked in first aid.
• 

  hillbilly

  I have seen some pretty good first aid depts. If they can get em... usually a RN, some EMT's and now and then a full fledged Doctor will be at a DC or urban Circuit Assy.

  Of course, our old circuit had a farmer and a carpenter with a box of bandaids, asprin and a phone.

  Jeff
• 

  troubled mind

  My husband use to be an EMT-I and did first aid at conventions and assemblies for yrs . When he gets home tonight I'll get his response for you .

  As for my opinion I use to tell him the same thing ! They wasted so much freakin time when it would have saved precious minutes by having the first attendant call 911 right away . It was all policy , following direction crap instead of common sense . I know he was frustrated alot of the time because they were so limited in what they could do because of liability clauses . But I'll check back later with his experience .
• 

  NewYork44M

  Decisions about the level of first aid are made based upon liability.

  A group a lawyers sit in a room and ask the question: "what can we do that relieves the watchtower of liability if something goes wrong?"
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  tresdecu

  Thanks hillbilly and TM for your responses. I do realize that there are some trained people at the DCs, ours many times (like hillbilly's) had Paramedics, RNs, etc. But, with something like a heart attack you need defribrilation (sp?). Even though they were trained, they really have no equipment to do anything, ie epinephrine, defib, Oxygen. At out facility there was good access all around, on both levels for an ambulance to arrive close to the scene. I had always resolved to ignore the WTBS Societies direction if I thought someones life was at stake ( <--that is a really weird sentance to type...)

  I also realize that 50 attendants calling 911 for various reasons could make the local Fire Dept upset. (if the calls were for non life threatening situations)

  I just think they are going to get sued one of these days, especially if a family member of the decesed finds out the attendant was told not to call 911.
• 

  Leolaia

  Also check out:

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/10/111923/1.ashx
  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/7/86535/1.ashx
  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/108325/1.ashx
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  digderidoo

  I have helped out on the first aid when i was a teenager at the circuit assembly. Can you believe over a thousand people attended and if anyone needed help i had absolutely no training for the "privelege".

  Paul
• 

  tresdecu

  Thanks Leolaia for the other threads on this...

  I guess I have to realize as a newbie that much of this absurdity probably has been covered before. :-)
• 

  Wordly Andre

  their first aid is more like Jim Jone's Kool aid
• 

  Mulan

  My experience with convention First Aid is very, very positive. The elder in charge was a fireman, EMT, etc. He was great, and had all his equipment there. Lots of RN's here too, and they were volunteers.

  I was having a gall bladder attack, and wasn't sure if it was my heart or what. They rushed me to first aid in a wheel chair (I was about 37) that appeared miraculously. Rick diagnosed me pretty close to the true situation, and called an ambulance. I missed that day, but went the rest of the time. The hospital did a lot of tests, told me it had to come out, and recommended I go home to my own doctor, but of course I couldn't miss the convention. Duh!

  Still have my gall bladder...............had been going to Nutri System, and was one of the gall bladder casualties from their old program. As soon as I stopped the food, I recovered.

  Anyway, the first aid department in this area is top notch.