Vero Beach Florida Country Club Reduces Liability | Golf Club CPR AED First Aid Safety Classes

The CPR School recently taught CPR AED and First Aid Safety classes for the staff of an upscale country club in Vero Beach, Indian River County Florida. Vero Beach is located in Florida´s Space Coast near Melbourne Florida. We have been working with this club for many years and the staff always enjoys our classes. Our classes are more than your typical "press press blow" CPR class. During the class we discussed many medical emergencies that are present on golf courses, swimming pools, tennis courts, restaurants and the other areas of a country club where accidents and medical emergencies are likely to occur.

What medical emergencies does your CPR AED First Aid Safety class cover? Our CPR AED and First Aid classes cover emergency medical care for a variety of different emergencies and life saving techniques including:

Legal/Ethical Concerns, Bloodborne Pathogens, Calling 911 and Emergency Medical Services, Scene Management and Patient Assessment, Bleeding, Cuts and Shock, Burns, Falls, Sudden Cardiac Arrest and Heart Attack, Drowning, Eye Injuries, Head and Face Injuries, Injuries to Muscles, Bones and Joints, Allergic Reactions and Respiratory Emergencies, Diabetic Emergencies, Seizures and Strokes, Heat Exhaustion and Hypothermia, Poisonings and Overdoses and a variety of other medical emergencies.

In addition to first aid treatment for medical emergencies what else do you cover? Our classes are student driven. By this I mean no 2 classes are alike. We encourage the students to talk about medical emergencies that they have seen either on the job or at home. We discuss proper treatment for these emergencies, what to do, and what not to do. We go through many different scenarios and we also stress accident prevention. As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. Often we discover safety concerns that management was unaware of. Through our classroom discussions, management is then able to take action to correct any safety issues.

How often should CPR and First Aid training occur? The old expression use it or lose it comes to mind. The American Heart Association CPR AED and First Aid certification cards are valid for a period of 2 years. Every 2 years may be sufficient for the actual training classes but safety drills, similar to the fire drills we had in school should be conducted on a regular basis. These drills apply what was learned in the classroom to real life scenarios that can occur on the golf course, in the kitchen, at the pool or on the tennis courts.

What about a first aid kit? A good first aid kit is very important however it does not necessarily mean signing an expensive service contract to fill your first aid kit or wall mounted first aid cabinet with overpriced bandages and aspirin. In fact, I discourage having OTC medications in the company first aid kit. Keeping your first aid kit simple is often best. In addition to your PPE listed above you will want bandages, medical tape, burn gel, eye wash and an assortment of band aids in various sizes. The items you include in your first aid kit may vary depending on the size and location of the country club and it´s amenities.

Should my club purchase an AED – Automated External Defibrillator? My answer is always "Yes". According to OSHA 13% of all workplace fatalities result from sudden cardiac arrest. According to the American Heart Association, sudden cardiac arrest claims about 340,000 lives each year – or around 1,000 every day in the United States. Sudden cardiac arrest, which is the leading cause of death in the United States. Cardiac arrest kills more people than breast cancer, lung cancer, and AIDS combined. Currently 95 percent of all cardiac arrest victims die.

Simply put, Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) save lives. Would you spend $2,000 if it saved an employee? The answer is obviously yes. You have smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, security cameras and other systems to save property why not put something in place that saves lives. Think about this, how many fire extinguishers does your company own? How many AEDs? Fire extinguishers are designed to save property whereas an AED saves lives. Life safety is far more important than saving property.

Which club employee will most likely respond first? On the golf course, most often it will be the golf ranger. A golf ranger patrols the golf course to prevent unauthorized persons from using facilities, keep play running smoothly, and assist injured or ill players. The ranger also renders first aid to injured or ill players.

The above job description for a golf ranger mentions assisting and treating injured golfers. But how well is the golf ranger trained and equipped? Does the ranger have the proper training to recognize and treat a life threatening medical emergency and if so, does the ranger have the right medical equipment to assist? You should ask these questions next time you are on the golf course. If you do not like the answer you get, please print a copy of this article and share it with management.

What type of training is required to use an AED? AEDs are designed to be very simple to use. However, this is a race against time. For every minute we delay shocking our victim their chance of survival drops 10%. Training increases speed, confidence and efficiency. I suggest working with a professional trainer that has real life experience using CPR and AEDs on real people. An instructor that can work with your staff to answer any and all questions. Someone that can create realistic training scenarios to use during class and most importantly someone that can make your staff comfortable using their new skills. You don´t want an instructor that scares or confuses them. Look for a full time, insured professional that knows AEDs, CPR and First Aid.

What medical equipment should be on the golf rangers cart? The golf ranger and all golf employees rendering first aid assistance should have the proper PPE - personal protective equipment to protect themselves from bloodborne pathogens. PPE will include safety glasses, medical exam gloves and a CPR mask. The first aid kit should include all of the basics including bandages, cold packs, and other items commonly found in a basic first aid kit and most importantly, there should be an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). All of these supplies, including the AED should be kept in a waterproof case kept on the ranger´s golf cart.

What type of feedback and comments do you typically receive? Below are a few comments from a recent class.

 "The entire class was informative"

 "Instructor was awesome"

 "You are a great teacher"

 "Great Class. Very informative"

 "Presentation was entertaining"

 "The instructor was very knowledgeable and helpful."

 "Very good teaching skills, kept my attention the whole class"

 "Good class, learned more than any other CPR class I´ve taken"

Can anyone teach CPR AED and First Aid? This is a common mistake I often see. In an effort to reduce costs, managers either go with the low bid or attempt to do the training in house. You should never cut costs on life saving training or life saving equipment. Would you have your maintenance man install your fire suppression system? Would you have human resources test and inspect your fire extinguishers? The answer is no, you would not. Both fire suppression systems and fire extinguishers are designed to save property. CPR AED and first aid classes are designed to save lives. Given the choice between saving lives or saving property, which in your opinion is more important and which do you think could result in the greatest liability? Make certain your instructor is a full time instructor that has actually performed CPR and used First Aid in real life on real people. Having people teach CPR that have never done CPR on real people is like taking flying lessons from a guy that has never really piloted an airplane before. Bottom line – always hire a full time professional.

Keith Murray, the owner of The CPR School, LLC is a licensed Florida Firefighter EMT as well as a Florida licensed insurance agent who consults with Florida business owners and safety managers regarding safety and risk management issues. The CPR School is a mobile training company that provides CPR, AED First Aid Safety training classes for businesses, clubs and schools throughout Florida. In addition to safety training The CPR School sells and services AEDs - automated external defibrillators as well as provides AED Program Management & AED Maintenance. Contact The CPR School at 561-762-0500 or or on the web at www.TheCPRSchool.com