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Awareness training raised after Manu’a’s Store electrocution tragedy
tony@samoanews.com

Certified members of the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Health Safety & Health Institute as well as other organizations will be hosting a free Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training next week Saturday, according to (AHA) Certified Heart Saver Instructor Louisa Te’o Tuiteleleapaga.

This was an idea and awareness activity that was raised after the Manu’a’s Store electrocution tragedy that claimed the lives of three of the store’s employees.

Tuiteleleapaga told Samoa News, “Given the recent tragedy that occurred at the Manu’a’s Store in Tafuna, we were reminded of how important it is to increase the number of informed people throughout our communities that will be able to respond effectively during an emergency.”

She said, “Therefore, several certified CPR and First Aid instructors from the American Heart Association, American Health Safety & Health Institute, and other reputable organizations, are coming together to offer free community training sessions for CPR with an AED on Saturday, February 25, 2017.”

According to Tuiteleleapaga, they will be holding 4 sessions, “so at the end of the day 200 people will have been trained – all sessions are absolutely free and we are encouraging adults (18+ years) to register.”

To register and be part of a session – contact Florence Wasko at 258-9092 or Louisa Te’o Tuiteleleapaga at 258-4888.

Registrations are also open to the public online with the following links:

Session 1:     8:00AM - 10:00AM  go to http://bit.ly/freecpr1   18 available slots

Session 2:     10:00AM - 12:00PM go to http://bit.ly/freecpr2  1 available slot                  

Session 3:     12:30PM - 2:30PM go to http://bit.ly/freecpr3    3 available slots

Session 4:     2:30PM - 4:30PM go to http://bit.ly/freecpr4      21 available slots

To register or apply to be a part of these sessions, the applicant must bring a photo ID on the day of the training (Saturday February 25, 2017) to make sure that you have participated in a session – due to the limited amount of slots, applicants are not allowed to join in two or more sessions on training day, and it is required that the participants of this training arrive at the event 10 minutes before the session to complete the sign-in process.

The deadline to register is next week Monday, February 20, 2017 at 12 noon and the free CPR training will be held at the Gov. H. Rex Lee Auditorium (fale laumei).

Tuiteleleapaga told Samoa News, “These sessions will be based on the current American Heart Association’s (AHA) Family and Friends (F&F) training curriculum.” She added, “This is condensed, but are informative versions of CPR training that instructors deliver in certification courses.”

She said that each session will be a 2 hour process and that “participants will learn how to assess the scene and recognize when CPR is needed, how effectively to perform hands-only CPR, high-quality CPR consisting of both compressions and ventilation (breaths) – learning what an AED is and how to use it, and handling airway blockages (choking).

Tuiteleleapaga said that additionally, participants will learn the difference between CPR for adults, children and infants.

The AHA F&F courses planned for Feb. 25 are free because participants will not be receiving “certification” or a course completion card. Certification courses usually require you to pay a fee of $75 or more, is at least 8 hours long, and participants must be able to complete a series of skills tests.

“However, F&F participants will have the same access to experienced instructors, engage in an effective training plan, have opportunities to practice while watching with manikins, and can sign up to learn more about participating in a certification course.

“The main goal of the F&F training sessions is to share this life-saving information throughout our communities. Therefore, the more people who are trained, the greater our chances are of having more informed people ready and able to respond effectively in an emergency,” she said.

“Also, since this event is purely community-driven, we are relying on the generosity of our concerned citizenry to make this happen.

“Certified instructors from the Department of Human & Social Services Child Care Division, Department of Education, LBJ Tropical Medical Center/ AHA Training Center, National Park Service, and Pacific Energy are volunteering their time and resources to plan and deliver this event.

“To date, we have partnered with the Department of Commerce and their Community Services Block Grant, KS Mart, and All Stars Signs & Apparel who have pledged their generous support for this event.

“There are other items/ needs that we could use assistance with. If you or your organization would like to donate/ volunteer for this event, please call Louisa at 258-4888,” Tuiteleleapaga said.

“Ultimately, with the continued support of our instructors and community partners, coupled with the interest of people who want to get CPR training, we hope to keep this effort going by offering a free class at least once per quarter, the AHA Certified Heart Saver Instructor said.

Tuiteleleapaga said, “Like all others, CPR and other emergency response skills must be practiced as often as possible. Take every precaution to prevent emergencies, but when they happen, stay calm, and remember your steps. Your knowing what to do and how to do it effectively may help save a life.”

BACKGROUND

Some videos of the Manu’a’s Store electrocution accident — seen on media sites, on the day of the accident, January 14 — show people standing around, not knowing what to do, when the accident happened. It includes people calling for water to douse some of the victims, trying to revive them. (It is unknown if this adversely affected the victims.)

The accident had one man allegedly dying on site, two others passing while in ICU at the LBJ hospital, and one was kept in the Medical Ward for observation for about a week and then later released. Others were released on the same day as the accident, after being checked out in ER.