CMs and First Aid

[DisneyMom]

Cardiac arrest is one thing, but honestly, how often does that actually happen? In my time as a CM the worst thing I have seen is the seizure, and in that case the family was taking care of it as this was a common occurrence, and I did provide help. I know people can and do have heart attacks, but nobody I know personally has ever seen one or had to deal with one. The rules are there to protect the guests, but in an emergency, I doubt you would get in trouble unless what you did caused further harm because you were not performing CPR properly.

Ummmm, if the person really NEEDS compressions, if there is no pulse, THEY ARE DEAD. Causing further harm is not really an issue. Just make sure that you give CPR to someone who actually needs it! :D: (of course you want to give high quality CPR..but someone remaining dead does not mean that you "failed", only a small percentage of people will be resuscitated and survive)
AEDs are great because they are very simple and guide you step-by-step on what to do, but once again, should be combined with high quality CPR. A person who has had some training is a whole heck of a lot better than nothing at all, and would only be held responsible if they failed to alert the nearest Emergency Medical Service or somehow failed to defer to the professional when they show up.
However, I don't work for Disney, I'm just a nurse, so consult with your supervisors (before the situation arises!)

[felinefan]

One time at Knott's, I was running Huff 'N'Puff, and a guest was sitting on a bench in front of Charlie Brown's Speedway. He got real red in the face, and collapsed. My co-worker, who was running Speedway, called for assistance. Within minutes paramedics were there, giving him an I.V., and soon security escorted an ambulance down the midway through Camp Snoopy to the victim. I understand he had a heart attack, but was okay later, after being taken to the hospital.

[CBeilby]

One time at Knott's, I was running Huff 'N'Puff, and a guest was sitting on a bench in front of Charlie Brown's Speedway. He got real red in the face, and collapsed. My co-worker, who was running Speedway, called for assistance. Within minutes paramedics were there, giving him an I.V., and soon security escorted an ambulance down the midway through Camp Snoopy to the victim. I understand he had a heart attack, but was okay later, after being taken to the hospital.

Same thing happened to me once when I was breaking Roto 2 at Fiesta Village. A group of people were sitting on the bench across from Slingshot, including an older woman who was obviously in distress. I had the RideOp at Slingshot call emergency dispatch, then immediately notify Rides 8 to come to Slingshot for a medical emergency. The SL was there in a few minutes, along with your two 'favorite' managers and the EMTs. Within 20 minutes, the ambulance was there.

[EeyoresButterfly]

I know if the person is in true cardiac arrest you can't really screw it up, but if the person is not actually in cardiac arrest and you perform chest compressions... it can cause problems. Unfortunately, there are times that people perform CPR on those who don't need it and make things worse instead of better. There are reasons there are good Samaritan laws on the books- because people can and do screw up CPR or First Aid and actually cause harm instead of helping. The laws were designed so that if that happens somebody cannot be sued for trying to save somebody else's life.

[Cheshire Figment]

Of course I told him to get down, he was standing on an inch wide rail and easily could have fallen and cracked his head open.

And do you have any idea of how much paperwork you would have been involved with?

[GaTechGal]

The band-aid thing makes me kinda mad. I think it's ridiculous to make a guest walk halfway across the park for a band-aid. They always get really mad about this and I feel bad because their only option is to go and buy some at imagination.

Just be careful about the type of band aid you hand out. Seriously, so many of them have latex in them and you'd be surprised how many folks are allergic to it.

[DisneyMom]

Just be careful about the type of band aid you hand out. Seriously, so many of them have latex in them and you'd be surprised how many folks are allergic to it.

I was going to suggest carrying guaze, but restaurant napkins would do well
to control minor bleeding, then it would be up to the guest/parents if they wanted to seek further help :)

[Syndrome]

I would be scared to do CPR on someone because of the fear of hurting them, even if it doesn't matter at that point. But if I were ever faced with that situation, maybe instinct would kick in. I had Heimlich and CPR training in high school, and a few months later I was at work (on the OEA work program) and someone started choking. No one realized what was happening because she couldn't talk, but because the training was fresh in my mind, that's actually what clinched that she was really choking. I grabbed her, did two squeezes, and a tiny little Tic Tac goes flying across the room! It amazed me that the Heimlich actually works as billed.

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

The training gives you confidence that you might be able to save someone. The job I had required both CPR and (then) advanced first aid training (320 hour course) even though it was years ago, I still remember a lot of the important stuff. (and of course keep current with CPR) most American Red Cross offices have training locations as do a lot of community colleges. It is well worth the training. Especially if you go to WDW and run into SG's!!

[ktulu]

My wife (then girlfriend) and I were at a banquet for the accounting department of her university. She worked in their office and helped arrange the banquets and stuff, so she got to go. A guy started to choke, and someone yelled out "Doctor" knowing there was a medical doctor in attendance. The guy was fine after they did the Heimlich on him and I was wondering what the other "doctors" would do for him. Help his family out with financial impacts of his estate if he did die?