Save a Life - Learn CPR and AED

This post was written by Dale Easley on January 26, 2008

Because of our involvement with a tour company in Alaska, Colleen and I both have to re-certify for CPR and AED training annually. Last spring we enrolled in a full day American Red Cross class and went through all the steps to administer proper CPR and we also trained on the operation an AED unit. Surprisingly there were a few changes to CPR this time around; primarily concerning the number of chest compressions (30) between rescue breaths (2). And since this was our first time to take the AED training, we had a lot to learn.

Why AED training? AED stands for Automated External Defibrillator. CPR keeps oxygenated blood flowing to the brain and other vital organs and tissues. Early defibrillation with an AED administers a shock that can allow the heart to restore an effective rhythm. Having an AED available and the training to use it could mean the difference between life and death for a sudden cardiac arrest patient. In 1991 The American Heart Association published a paper called “Improving Survival from Sudden Cardiac Arrest: The Chain of Survival Concept”. The links within this “Chain of Survial” include:

• Early Access to the emergency response system;
• Early CPR to support circulation to the heart and brain until normal heart activity is restored;
• Early Defibrillation to treat cardiac arrest caused by Ventricular Fibrillation; and
• Early Advance Care by EMS and hospital personal.

AED units are becoming more and more common as we travel. You’ll often see them in airports, hotels, malls and other places where large numbers of people congregate.

When our Alaska motorcoach tours are traveling the remote highways of Alaska and Yukon Territory, they are often hours away from professional medical care. That’s why we feel it’s imperative that our tour managers are trained in First Aid, CRP, and Automated External Defibrillation (AED).

John Hall, the owner of the company, decided that he wanted AED units installed on each of his four motorcoaches as well as in his offices in Minnesota by the summer of 2007. He tasked me with doing the research and making the buying decision for 5 AED units. I found that the AED Superstore was an excellent resource for learning about the different kinds of units available, and after much research we decided on the ZOLL Plus. We feel ZOLL best met our needs for a variety of reasons. The one piece pad unit makes it impossible to make a mistake when applying the electrical leads to the patient’s chest. It also has a longer shelf life than some other models. The ZOLL display unit is visual as well as voice prompted, so even in a stressful situation, the operator has clear step by step instructions. Another important feature is that the shelf life the the batteries is longer than most others, and the batteries are available over the counter instead of being proprietary to the manufacturer.

So What’s the Take Away?

AED units are expensive to buy - especially when your underlying hope is that you NEVER have to use them. But if someone suffers a cardiac arrest and you have an AED available as well as the training to use it, they can save lives. And in my mind, that makes them worth every penny invested.

Knowing CPR/AED and first aid can and does save lives. We recommend everyone enroll in a CPR/AED training class on an annual basis. Classes are offered by the American Red Cross, The American Heart Association, and many local Fire Departments.

Stop it - We’re Killing Our Kids!

This post was written by Colleen Easley on January 24, 2008

Here in the state of Washington a new law is being proposed that would ban smoking in a car if there are children present. Obviously this has stirred up a lot of debate. One parent has been quoted as saying, “I really do not believe that a government should be insisting on laws like that. It’s just a little intrusive now, definitely.” Another parent, when asked if she would smoke in a car with children present said, “No, not in a million years; that’s one of my biggest pet peeves. Who else is going to protect the children if the parents aren’t going to do that themselves? It’s no different than saying we can’t smoke in a restaurant or a bar.” (Washington already has legislation that prevents smoking in any public buildings, including all restaurants and bars.)

Washington State Representative Shay Schual-Berke compares it to drunk driving, saying you’re injuring your children for life if you smoke with them in your car. Several other states, including California and Alabama, already have banned smoking in cars with children, and 27 others are considering a similar ban.

Dale and I agree wholeheartedly with this proposed legislation. Children have no voice of their own so we feel it’s up to us to protect them. The unfortunate part of the law as it’s being proposed is that you could only be sited as a secondary offense, meaning that you could not be pulled over for this offense alone. Offenders would have to be pulled over for something else, and then if it was determined that they were smoking with children present, they would face a fine of about $100. We’d like it taken a step further to make it possible to pull people over for this offense alone and we’d like to see fines set at a higher level.

Why do I feel so strongly about this issue? Well for one thing Dale’s mother, a non-smoker, died of lung cancer after being subjected to secondhand smoke for most of her married life. Dale and I have long been opposed to smoking and tried many times to get his dad to quit, to no avail. As I was preparing this article I was dismayed to have my own grown daughter tell me that when she was young, her grandfather often smoked in the car with her present. Today we have seven grandchildren of our own and thankfully they are not being subjected to second hand smoke by any of their relatives, but there’s currently no law to stop a friend from polluting their lungs if they’re riding in someone else’s car and we think that is wrong.

Did you know that when kids are confined in a vehicle with a smoker it’s like they are smoking one cigarette for every four that the smoker smokes? Secondhand smoke contains more than 250 chemicals known to be toxic or cancer causing, including formaldehyde, benzene, vinyl chloride, arsenic, ammonia, and hydrogen cyanide. (1)

Secondhand smoke causes irritation of the lungs, leading to coughing, excessive phlegm and chest discomfort. It also causes irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat. Children who breathe secondhand smoke are more likely to suffer from pneumonia, bronchitis, and other lung diseases. They are also more likely to have ear infections and develop asthma. Children who have asthma and breath secondhand smoke have more asthma attacks. (2)

There are an estimated 150,000 to 300,000 cases every year of infections, such as bronchitis and pneumonia in infants and children under 18 months of age who breathe secondhand smoke. These result in between 7,500 and 15,000 hospitalizations! (3)

So What’s the Take Away?

If you’re a smoker, here is what you can do to protect yourself and your family from secondhand smoke.

• Do not smoke in your car or allow others to smoke if there are children present
• Don’t smoke in your home
• Ask other people not to smoke in your home, especially baby-sitters or others who may take care of your children.
• Choose children’s day car centers, schools, restaurants and other places you spend time in that are smoke free.
• If you must smoke, try to smoke only in an open area away from your family.
• Quit for yourself and your loved ones…. Call your local American Lung Association at 1-800-LUNG-USA (1-800-586-4872) to find out more about how to stop smoking for good.

If you’re a non-smoker, write your state legislators and tell them why you believe there should be laws against smoking in public places and in cars when there are children present.

For more info on the effects of secondhand smoke on both adults and children, please read: Secondhand smoke: Avoid dangers in the air you breathe

Footnotes

1. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: Children are Hurt by Secondhand Smoke. A Report of the Surgeon General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2006; Available at: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/secondhandsmoke/factsheets/factsheet2.html

2. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: Children are Hurt by Secondhand Smoke. A Report of the Surgeon General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2006; Available at: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/secondhandsmoke/factsheets/factsheet2.html

3. California Environmental Protection Agency. Health Effects of Exposure to ETS. September 1997.

WWOOF - Who let the Dogs Out? Not!

This post was written by Colleen Easley on January 22, 2008

Have you heard the term WWOOFING? I have to admit that although I had heard it once or twice in the past, I really had no idea what it was all about. But in the past weeks it become a little more personal when my brother, Bruce sent an email home about his WWOOFING experiences in New Zealand.

Bruce is a retired elementary school teacher living on San Juan Island in Washington state. He is married to Tina, who is of Australian heritage, and this past fall they embarked on a year long trip to Australia and New Zealand. Currently he and Tina are WWOOFING on a dairy farm at the southern end of the south island of NZ and they plan to do another project at the northern end of the island once they are done at that farm.

When our mother got the email about this WWOOF experience, she was a little confused as to what it was all about. I told her I’d look into it more and here is what I’ve found.

WWOOF. It stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms and was started in the UK in 1971. It provides volunteer opportunities for all ages and levels of experience. You can WWOOF in over 70 countries in any season for variable durations. It’s a great way to get around the world “on the cheap” and have fun learning new things.

In return for your work you generally receive food, accommodation, and training for the project you’re working on. Although most WWOOF opportunities involve either organic farming or gardening, there are also opportunities for handy persons, cooks, teachers, builders, child care and and just about any other skill you might have.

WWOOF volunteers do not pay for their stay and WWOOF hosts do not pay their volunteers for their help. There is a small fee to join a WWOOF organization in the country where you want to work.

This sounds like fun and I’m not surprised that my brother has become involved with WWOOF. He has always been the more adventurous one in the family. I get my adventure fix every summer by heading up to Alaska to work as a tour guide, but someday when I finally retire from that adventure, maybe Dale and I will look into WWOOFING.

At http://www.wwoof.org/ that they have a list of all the countries that have a WWOOF organization. Let’s see now - where should we go first?? Of course you can WWOOF in the US as well as in Canada. It all depends on how far you want to travel.

So What’s the Take Away?

WWOOF has become an international movement that is helping people share more sustainable ways of living. It’s an affordable way to travel, it’s educational, and you make lots of new friends. And it’s all about going green and the low carbon footprint that we’re hearing so much about these days. If you’ve got the time, but lack the money for a luxury vacation, maybe WWOOFING is for you.

Could You Market an Outhouse?

This post was written by Colleen Easley on January 21, 2008

Outhouses - It might seem like a funny topic to start our blog with, but since Dale and I spend so much time in Alaska, this story caught our attention and made us smile. Also, since we ourselves operate a home business, we’re always impressed when someone comes up with a new marketing idea.

Daniel Buckingham, age 16, is a young entrepreneur living in Palmer, Alaska with a unique idea for a home business. He builds and sells outhouses in Alaska!

Down here in the lower 48, that idea may sound absurd, but in Alaska, there is still a great need for the “little shack out back” since so many Alaskan’s are living off the grid or in “the bush”, as they say up there. Some urban Alaskan’s might even add a token outhouse to their landscaping just to give an Alaskana effect along with a dog sled and a cache (a little log cabin on stilts for storing food and supplies).

Daniel sells a standard 4′x 4′x 7′ high basic plywood design for $299. It comes with a hinged door, toilet box with hole and a toilet seat. But he’s more than willing to incorporate any custom features you might envision for an extra charge. One thing not available, however, is delivery. If you want one, you need to come and get it. At least for now.

According to the 2000 US census, one in four homes in Alaska is without indoor plumbing. It’s obvious Daniel had chosen a product that fills a need, and I can only guess that there is not a lot of competition. He seems to be willing and able to put the hard work required into building a quality product, so he could do well with this venture.

His next step will be marketing. Right now he’s only using Craigslist and word-of-mouth to promote his outhouses, which has yet to bring much success. What he needs now is a full blown web presence and a marketing campaign to get the word out in areas where indoor plumbing isn’t an option. The domain names he might choose from are probably endless! With over 10 years experience in Internet marketing, I’d love to talk to him about the possibilities. So Daniel, if you read this, shoot me an email!

Daniel’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. He received some great publicity today from an article in the Anchorage Daily News. So now it’s the time to capitalize on that and get to building for your future!

So What’s the Take Away?

My guess is that many of us wish we could come up with a great new idea or product that we could develop into a million dollar home business. I think the lesson learned from Daniel is that if a 16 year old, home schooled kid can come up with a unique idea like outhouses, we certainly should be able to think of something that can fill a need in our marketing radius. But conversely, if you think you’ll turn your product into a million dollar business overnight, it just isn’t going to happen. Daniel’s outhouse idea has still not really taken off, but he has his product and his goals in place. Now it’s time go to work on the marketing, and maybe someday he’ll have made enough to finance his college education. He says he’s not trying to make a career at it, but it’s sure good preparation for what ever he does decide to pursue in the future.