Inside CDCR recently caught up with the fire crew at Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) in Chowchilla to discuss the ABCs of saving lives.
“In honor of National EMS Week, here at CCWF we have already run 47 medical calls this year. When arriving on a medical scene, it’s important to know your ABCs,” said one of the incarcerated firefighters. “This will determine your next course of action.”
Watch the video (story continues below):
CCWF fire crew: Do you know your ABCs?
A is for airway
You want to make sure that there are no obstructions or injuries that could prevent the person from breathing and one way to do that is a head tilt, chin lift.
B is for breathing
After determining the airway is open, place your ear near the nose and mouth, listening for breathing and looking for chest rise and fall.
C is for circulation
It’s important to make sure the heart is pumping blood through the body. An easy way of checking for this, is by placing two fingers, like so, checking for a pulse.
“Now that you’ve learned to eliminate all life-threatening emergencies first, you can move on to your next assessment,” said the CCWF fire crew member.
Learn more about National EMS Week on the organization’s website.
Video by Chris Medina, Director TV Communications Specialist
Story by Don Chaddock, Inside CDCR editor
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