Equip for Medical Response

Equip to Serve – December 2019

In the Bible

There is ... no medicine for your wound, no healing for you (Jeremiah 30:13).

Luke the beloved physician greets you ... (Colossians 4:14).

He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him (Luke 10:34).

In the News

St. Louis, Missouri, December 2017 - A man attending a Christmas program in a church suffered a heart attack. Four other persons present quickly responded. One of them ran to get the AED (one of four stationed on the church campus) and restarted the man's heart before the EMTs arrived from across the street.[2]

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, October 27, 2018 - A shooter entered a synagogue during Sabbath services and began shooting with a firearm. Eleven people were killed and more were wounded. Many survived because their bleeding was controlled by members and responding police who had taken "Stop the Bleed" training earlier that year.[3]

Ready for Emergencies

Emergencies, by their very nature, are unplanned events. When there is a medical emergency in the church or during a church event, we need to be already ready. A life or lives may literally depend on it. This means both training and equipment & supplies.

Almost all medical response equipment requires some level of training. On the other hand, a well-trained and skilled responder may be able to make do with what is at hand in most situations, but there are cases where specific equipment and supplies are essential. In the news stories above, the church in St. Louis had well-placed AED's, and a person responding the heart attack knew where it was and how to use it. In Pittsburgh, responders used whatever they could to stop bleeding, but some of them had tourniquets or compression bandages.

Keep on Hand

The Sheepdog Church Security Store on Amazon[1] has several items for medical response. These include nitrile exam gloves and a medical glove pouch, tourniquets and pressure bandages, airway tubes, a wall-mounted First Aid cabinet, a trauma duffel bag for first responders, an AED, and CPR masks. There are other recommended supplies not in the store, such as replacements for used items from the medic bag or the First Aid cabinet.

Nitrile Exam Gloves

Go to the deli counter at your favorite supermarket, order sliced meats and cheese, then watch the clerk at work. He or she is wearing vinyl gloves. This is to prevent contamination of your food while handling it. They are protecting you.

If you have learned about blood-borne pathogens or body fluids, you come away knowing to "Handle with Caution." The first cautionary measure is "Wear gloves." Latex gloves are the best kind, as far as fit, durability, and flexibility are concerned. However, there are some people - responders and patients alike - who are allergic to latex. A common alternative to latex is vinyl. However, as many of us have experienced, vinyl gloves are very fragile. They tear easily, which may be forgivable in a deli, but is unacceptable in treating an injured person.

Nitrile is a type of synthetic rubber. It is better than vinyl and does not trigger latex allergies. The Safety Zone GNEP - 1P Nitrile Exam Gloves[4] are available in four sizes: Small, Medium, Large, and X-Large.

Medical Glove Pouch

The LINE2design Latex Glove Pouch Red[5] holds two nitrile, vinyl, or latex gloves. Its 4" x 3" size fits easily into most pockets, keeping the gloves handy for the next emergency. The same brand also has a larger pouch to hold 6 gloves.

Tourniquets

Tourniquets can be made from available items. However, if you are carrying one with you, there is no need to hunt for materials to use. The CAT Combat Application Tourniquet - GEN 7[6] is the official tourniquet of the U.S. Army. It is tightened by a windlass, which means you don't have to stay there holding it tight, but can move on to treat others. It has a place to write the time so you or another responder can see how long it has been on and relieve pressure before it has been too long. This makes it perfect for a mass casualty event.

Pressure Bandages

In First Aid courses, we learn to put pressure on a bleeding cut with a gauze pad, with most of the pressure on the side from which the blood is coming. Pressure bandages are designed to keep the pressure on. This is for cuts and wounds which do not require a tourniquet. Sheepdog Church Security recommends the Emergency Pressure Bandage (Israeli Type) by Dynarex[7].

Airway Tubes

Sometimes the person we are treating has trouble breathing, such as with a bad mouth injury. This calls for intubation. The Sheepdog Church Security Store has the Airway Kit - Nasopharygngeal Respiration Tubes by Moore Medical[8]. These go up through the nose and down through the throat to the windpipe (trachea). They come with a medical lubricant to ease insertion.

First Aid Cabinet

A wall-mounted First Aid cabinet is a must for every business, school, or church. The SDCS Store has the Rapid Care First Aid Cabinet[9]. It comes in three sizes, with two, three, or four shelves. Each cabinet comes with supplies for First Aid for different numbers of people normally in the facility at any one time.

Trauma Duffel Bag

If there is a severe injury or an off-site church event (such as a picnic), it pays to be able to take medical response supplies with you. The Sheepdog Church Security Store has the Ergodyne Arsenal 5215 Large Medic First Responder Trauma Duffel Bag[10]. It comes with a shoulder strap and dividers to organize the contents. First Aid supplies are not included.

AED

One newer kind of medical response equipment is the Automated External Defibrillator (AED). Most of us have seen hospital dramas on TV when a doctor placed two electrodes on a patient's chest and an assistant pressed a button. The patient's chest heaved and the heart restarted. If it didn't work the first time, they tried it again. They were using a defibrillator to stop a fluttering heart valve and return the heart to normal operation.

A few years ago, the process was automated with the development of the AED. Sensors tell the control chip when to discharge or the best results. Now it is simple enough that you do not have to be a doctor or nurse to use it. Kris Moloney's favorite is the Philips HeartStart Home AED Defibrillator[11]. It comes with a case. On the same page is the CPR Savers Lifesaver AED Trainer[12] for training in the use of an AED.

CPR Masks

The American Heart Association and the American Red Cross have the goal of training as many people as possible in cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). This used to be called mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to stimulate breathing. Now it is the chest compressions which are emphasized and the mouth-to-mouth breathing is de-emphasized. However, there may be times when compressions are not enough.

CPR masks were invented to protect both the responder and the patient during CPR. The 10pcs CPR Face Shield Mask Keychain Ring Emergency Kit[13] lets you keep one or more on you in case you need one.

Other Supplies

Other supplies include small adhesive bandages (such as Band-Aidsâ), sterile gauze pads, adhesive tape, paper tape, scissors, tweezers, pain relievers, antiseptics, burn ointment, epinephrine injections (for anaphylaxis), ace bandages, instant ice, etc. Most of these are expendable (disposable) to prevent infections. Some of these have a shorter shelf life than others. They need to be replaced as they are used up or pass their stale dates.

There Is More

Other articles in the Equip to Serve series are "Equip the Mind, Dress to Serve" (studying and dressing for safety), "Equip to Rescue" (Aids for Evacuations), and "Equip to Defend" (Lethal and Less-than-Lethal Weapons).

References

1. Sheepdog Church Security Store on Amazon [https://www.amazon.com/shop/instructor_moloney].
2. Joseph Kenny, "Heart attack victim, rescuers praise AED device," St. Louis Review (Archdicese of St. Louis), February 05-11, 2018 [https://www.archstl.org/heart-attack-victim-rescuers-praise-aed-device-134].
3. Matthew D. Neal, "Pittsburgh trauma surgeon: "Stop the Bleed' training saved lives after shooting, but stopping the need must be next," The Conversation, November 5, 2018 [https://theconversation.com/pittsburgh-trauma-surgeon-stop-the-bleed-training-saved-lives-after-shooting-but-stopping-the-need-must-be-next-106301].
4. The Safety Zone GNEP - 1P Nitrile Exam Gloves [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KE233NU/?cv_ct_id=amzn1.idea.1ERD68BB0JGWR&cv_ct_pg=storefront&cv_ct_wn=aip-storefront&ref=exp_cov_instructor_moloney_dp_vv_d].
5. LINE2design Latex Glove Pouch [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ILD8BSK/?cv_ct_id=amzn1.idea.1ERD68BB0JGWR&cv_ct_pg=storefront&cv_ct_wn=aip-storefront&ref=exp_cov_instructor_moloney_dp_vv_d].
6. CAT Combat Application Tourniquet [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ITAKG6A/?cv_ct_id=amzn1.idea.1ERD68BB0JGWR&cv_ct_pg=storefront&cv_ct_wn=aip-storefront&ref=exp_cov_instructor_moloney_dp_vv_d].
7. Emergency Pressure Bandage (Israeli Type) Dynarex [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MT17QJU/?cv_ct_id=amzn1.idea.1ERD68BB0JGWR&cv_ct_pg=storefront&cv_ct_wn=aip-storefront&ref=exp_cov_instructor_moloney_dp_vv_d].
8. Airway Kit - Nasopharygngeal Respiration Tubes [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015TF4G0/?cv_ct_id=amzn1.idea.1ERD68BB0JGWR&cv_ct_pg=storefront&cv_ct_wn=aip-storefront&ref=exp_cov_instructor_moloney_dp_vv_d].
9. Rapid Care First Aid, ANSI/OSHA Compliant All Purpose First Aid Cabinet, Wall Mountable [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E17HNGQ/?tag=aiponsite-20&linkCode=ic5&ascsubtag=amzn1.idea.1ERD68BB0JGWR&creativeASIN=B01E17HNGQ&cv_ct_id=amzn1.idea.1ERD68BB0JGWR&cv_ct_pg=storefront&cv_ct_wn=aip-storefront&ref=exp_cov_instructor_moloney_dp_vv_d].
10. Ergodyne Arsenal 5215 Large Medic First Responder Trauma Duffel Bag [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001AYGFO0/?cv_ct_id=amzn1.idea.1ERD68BB0JGWR&cv_ct_pg=storefront&cv_ct_wn=aip-storefront&ref=exp_cov_instructor_moloney_dp_vv_d].
11. Philips HeartStart Home AED Defibrillator [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00064CED6/?tag=aiponsite-20&linkCode=ic5&ascsubtag=amzn1.idea.1ERD68BB0JGWR&creativeASIN=B00064CED6&cv_ct_id=amzn1.idea.1ERD68BB0JGWR&cv_ct_pg=storefront&cv_ct_wn=aip-storefront&ref=exp_cov_instructor_moloney_dp_vv_d].
12. CPR Savers Lifesaver AED Trainer [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NWXP6W7?ref_=ams_ad_dp_asin_img].
13. 10pcs CPR Face Shield Mask Keychain Ring Emergency Kit [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074W83657/?ref=exp_instructor_moloney_lv_dp_vv_d&th=1].