In a world of medical emergencies, natural disasters, and more, everyone can be a First Responder. LSA 300 is On Duty! LSA 300 just wrapped up their April class day by preparing this year’s class with an overview on Crisis Planning and First Responders and designed a day to inform, inspire, and empower the class to be ready to act at a moment’s notice. Their mission - “To become more effective citizens in the face of emergencies and crises.” Two weeks prior to the session, the class was asked to participate in a 15 minute free training course to receive certification from FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) on How to Save a Life: Recognizing and Responding to Anaphylaxis. Almost 70 individuals received their certification, including SA Chamber of Commerce staff who also supported the initiative.
The class began their day at Southerleigh Fine Food and Brewery with a virtual reality experience on how to prepare for an active shooter. LSA300 partnered with Chief Michael J. Parks from UTHSCSA to film the video and speak to the class. With active shooters on the rise, this topic on how to best protect yourself during an active shooter scenario was fitting, considering the YouTube HQ shooting took place the day before the session. See LSA 300 video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5lMbQosVpw&feature=youtu.be
The class traveled to the EOC to hear from San Antonio’s leaders of First Responders - SAPD, SAFD, Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, and Texas Emergency Management. These organizations put public safety first. KSAT’s Steve Spriester was the panel moderator and facilitated the First Responders discussion with Chief Charles Hood - SAFD, Assistant Chief Anthony Trevino – SAPD, Chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management with Department of Public Safety (DPS) W. Nim Kidd, and Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar. Whether it’s fighting crime, battling fires, preparing communities for natural disaster or providing critical threat awareness, this panel of First Responders always considers the safety, health, and security of our communities their main priority. The panelists also challenged the class to become more prepared as citizens in case of an emergency. With this, American Red Cross Hill Country Chapter Executive Director Jacques DuBose informed the class of volunteer opportunities on how to help and support during times of crisis and offered CPR and AED certification for future American Red Cross volunteers. He gave a quick overview of the support from the American Red Cross after the Sutherland Springs shooting, Hurricane Harvey. and the 2015 Wimberley Floods.
At Hanger 9, the class continued their day by learning how to be everyday citizen first responders and how save lives during a tragedy. They learned that a person who is bleeding can die from blood loss within 5 minutes if help is unavailable to stop uncontrolled bleeding. According to the National Stop the Bleed Campaign, uncontrolled bleeding is the #1 cause of preventable death in trauma cases. And, 20% of those who died could have survived the trauma if someone had treated them quickly with bleeding control tactics. As part of the class session, the entire class and steering committee participated in the National Stop the Bleed training and received their certification. Volunteers from the local Stop the Bleed chapter trained the class on how to aid victims of a tragedy, from packing a wound to applying tourniquets correctly. With a donation from Frost Bank, LSA 300 also donated Stop the Bleed kits and training to secondary nurses and staff from Southwest Independent School District. View story here https://www.ksat.com/news/southwest-isd-employees-learn-how-to-save-lives-through-stop-the-bleed-program
To celebrate their trainings and certifications, the class was treated to a hands-on experience with SA Fire Department showcasing their firetrucks, KSAT’s Weather Chaser van and Air Life’s helicopter.
By Jessica Davila-Burnett, Principal, JDB Public Relations
