If this new measure passes, a Macon-Bibb employee could save your life

Two Macon-Bibb County commissioners say they’re pushing for a potentially life-saving measure.

Commissioners Joe Allen and Scotty Shepherd will introduce a resolution Tuesday that would investigate having all Macon-Bibb government employees trained in first aid, CPR and using defibrillators.

The measure asks for Mayor Robert Reichert to appoint an official to make recommendations about training and buying more defibrillators and first aid kits.

“Macon-Bibb County wants its employees to have the confidence and skills to respond to a variety of workplace emergencies and to be prepared to help those who are having a heart attack or feel like they were having a hearth attack,” the resolution states.

“You have people go into public buildings who might have to wait on an ambulance to get them and in three minutes they might be dead,” said Allen, a retired firefighter. “By training employees in first aid and CPR, how many lives could you possible save?”

The measure would expand the training beyond the firefighters who are currently certified Emergency Medical Technicians and deputies who are trained in CPR and first aid.

Macon-Bibb County has about 1,800 employees, including public safety employees.

Currently, each of Macon-Bibb County’s fire trucks and recreation centers have defibrillators. The medical devices are also located in the Bibb County courthouse, Macon Coliseum and City Auditorium, Macon-Bibb spokesman Chris Floore said.

The cost of a defibrillator typically ranges between $1,500–$2,000, according to the American Heart Association.

Having Macon-Bibb employees certified in CPR and first aid may help the county get grants to purchase the devices, Allen said.

Shepherd said the county should be able to find a way to afford to buy more defibrillators.

“Certainly those things are costly, but we’re spending millions on a ball field,” he said. “Looks like we could have enough money to put those Automatic External Defibrillators in.”

Shepherd, a retired sheriff’s major, said during a period in the late 1990s and early 2000s it was common practice for Bibb firefighters and deputies to teach other county employees CRP and first aid.

Those lessons are helpful even when workers are off the clock.

“If you obtain the training and skill level you need, it could help you in your own family life,” Shepherd said. “If your family members went down you probably wouldn’t panic as much.”

Details on the training would need to be worked out, but there are organizations such as the American Red Cross and American Heart Association that offer courses, the two commissioners said.

Allen said he would like for first aid kits to also be carried by all employees who drive while on the job since they encounter more people.

Sheriff David Davis said he believes the resolution would encourage people to learn helpful skills. The measure will go before the County Commission’s Public Safety Committee next week.

“If nothing else, it brings the idea out for people to know how important it is to have these skills because you never know when you encounter someone who may have a heart attack or health problems,” Davis said.

This story was originally published September 22, 2017 at 3:42 PM with the headline "If this new measure passes, a Macon-Bibb employee could save your life."