Cherokee County Fire And Emergency Services: Fire Educators Assist Citizens With "Being Prepared"

Press release from the Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services:

February 24, 2021

In 1907, Baden-Powell, an English soldier and the founder of Scouting, devised the Scout motto: Be Prepared.  Baden-Powell wrote that to Be Prepared means “you are always in a state of readiness in mind and body to do your duty.” Cherokee County resident, Tammy Dorsten, understands the meaning of those two words even more after an incident a couple of weeks ago at a local Kroger store.  “I was in a Kroger at approximately 7:30 that night, and I had just made my purchases. As I turned to leave, I heard something fall. I turned and it was a gentleman that had collapsed and hit his head in the self-checkout line,” stated Dorsten. Dorsten went on to say that nobody was taking care of the situation at the time. “So finally, I realize that nobody's taking control of the situation. So, I just said, I know CPR and I just started directing the way that I had been taught to do. So, you call 911, you go meet the ambulance and you get me the first aid kit. Do you have an AED (automated external defibrillator)?  You know, those kinds of things,” added Dorsten. Dorsten said that the confidence that she had in knowing what to do comes from a class she had taken that was taught by Cherokee County Fire Educators.  Tammy, is the director of a childcare center called Holdheide Academy, that is located north of Woodstock. Childcare workers in the United States are required to take CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) certified classes. The course teaches daycare workers critical skills and knowledge needed to respond to and manage a first aid or sudden cardiac arrest emergency in the first few minutes until emergency medical services (EMS) arrives.  The class also shows how to treat bleeding, sprains, broken bones, shock, choking, and other first aid emergencies, as well as perform CPR and use an AED.  “I think Tammy is a great director of her daycare. She knows her employees well and she helps them and drills them in the CPR skills before they take their test.  I also think the good Lord knew that Tammy was going to need all those skills to use later on,” stated Cherokee County Fire Educator, Beth Elder. The gentleman that fell was 55 years of age and he was unconscious for approximately 6 minutes and there was blood on his head, too. Paramedics from Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services arrived on the scene minutes later and transported the man to an area hospital to be evaluated. “You just can't describe that feeling of being able to help somebody else in a minute when they are completely helpless and nobody else was willing to help. Plus, knowing you stepped up and did the right thing. I made a difference and there’s no better feeling than that” notes Dorsten. If you are interested in taking the American Heart Association Heartsaver, First Aid, CPR, AED class, go to our website at www.cherokeecountyfire.org and look on the left of the page for a listing of “Events and Classes.”  Classes are taught once a month and the cost is $25. “I would encourage everyone to take the class. Because you just never when something like this might happen,” claims Dorsten.

This press release was produced by the Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services. The views expressed here are the author’s own.