MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Robert M. Casey Medical and Dental Clinic personnel offered station residents a Basic Life Support Course here March 10.
The participants were shown several variants using training dolls.
The training taught both adult and infant life-saving techniques by using adult and infant dummies.
Chief Petty Officer Jose Afable, instructor, guided participants through several scenarios as they attempted to revive victims. Afable has taught the BLS Course since 2003.
The course has changed considerably from when Afable first became an instructor.
Afable showed the proper technique for restarting someone’s heart. Putting his right hand atop his left and placing the meaty portion of his palm on the doll’s chest, he pushed down hard.
He repeated this process several times in rapid succession before placing an ear against the doll’s mouth. This motion would be repeated up to 30 times if a victim were actually injured.
The Heimlich maneuver was also demonstrated by instructors.
The participants stood with a doll and wrapped their arms tightly around the doll’s waist.
A common mistake practitioners make when performing the Heimlich is pulling back into the victim’s stomach as opposed to pulling up into the victim’s diaphragm.
When performing life-saving techniques on the infant doll, Afable had participants place the doll in their hand face down and use their palm on the infant’s back. To make sure that whatever was blocking the infant’s airways was expelled, he said to thrust the palm firmly and not slap.
“You can’t do it gently, even if it’s a baby,” said Afable. “You don’t want to hurt them, but you want to get whatever is restricting their breathing out.”
The course focused on not only reestablishing a victim’s heartbeat, but also restoring breathing.
Some participants were taking the class just to be recertified, while for others it was an essential refresher as part of their jobs.
Army Capt. Kimberly Yore, station veterinary clinic officerin- charge, said this course would help technicians who work at the veterinary clinic to perform CPR on dogs and cats.
If a person’s life is in the balance, the last thing a rescuer would want is to be frightened or nervous in that situation.
“You’re training somebody to save a life,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Katie Zirkle, a basic life support instructor. “That can be scary.”
“This class could potentially save the life of someone you know,” added Zirkle, hammering home the overall sentiment of the course.
Course certification is good for two years before it must be renewed.
An emergency can strike at anytime. Whether a roadside accident or choking, these skills can play a pivotal role in saving lives.
But also, just being a good Samaritan goes a long way. No one knows the next time they may need a helping hand.