Hands Only CPR Taught to Area Township Clerks

On Wednesday, Firefighter Zoann Hallam and Captain Dave Grumney provided a hands-only CPR/AED class to the Allegan County Clerk’s Association. 16 election clerks attended to learn this valuable skill that could possibly save a life.

The idea to teach her colleagues CPR and how to use an AED stemmed from an incident at the Laketown Township Hall last year during an election. A resident placed her ballot, then collapsed on the floor. Firefighter Hallam, who is also Laketown’s Deputy Clerk, reacted and provided aid to the patient. After an EMS crew arrived and took over treatment, she returned to her clerk duties.

After that incident, she began to think about the situation and wondered if any other polling locations had the training needed to intervene. She then asked the association and was granted time at the quarterly clerk’s meeting to present a class. As we found out, many townships did not have the training or equipment to render appropriate aid. They all appreciated the awareness they received and were going to go back and see how they can better outfit their locations with the proper training for poll workers. They were also given information on purchasing an AED compatible with their local EMS transport resource. Bio-hazard clean up kits were also advised.

This is not the first time the Graafschap Fire Department has provided this type of public class. In the past year, there have been several presentations of Hands-Only CPR as part of the department’s Community Risk Reduction Program. The clerks also asked for the add-on module called Stop-the Bleed, a short talk on severe wound care with tourniquets and gauze.

If you have a group that was interested in this one-hour class, please reach out to us at 616-396-4060 or just stop by the station at 4534 60th St.