Lebanon Rescue Department Hosts Martin Luther King Day of Service Project
Monday, January 19th, 2009
The Lebanon Rescue Department held a community CPR/AED/First Aid class in honor of Martin Luther King Day of Service 2009 on Monday, January 19, 2009. A total of 46 community members from 15 different communities in 2 states attended the free training on Monday. The main class was held from 9am-1pm at the Hanson School in Lebanon. A second smaller class was held Monday evening.
The department applied for a grant through the Maine Commission for Community Service to help provide the free training to community members. The class, which was a full CPR/Automated External Defibrillator (AED) and First Aid class can cost up to $65.00 if taken elsewhere. We received a $350.00 grant from the Maine Commission for Community Service for the Martin Luther King Day of Service project.
The additional funds for the class came from a donation from the Seacoast Trail Riders and fundraising by the Lebanon Rescue Corporation. The rescue corporation holds fundraisers like bean suppers throughout the year to offer these community education classes.
“We were very excited about the turnout for today’s celebration. Our rescue department teachers have taught over 350 students CPR and first aid in the past few years and we hope to be able to continue to offer these classes through grants and donations. We had people from Portland, Maine all the way to Alton, NH and 15 communities in between attend this training. They all were very appreciative of the rescue volunteers donating their time to teach this life saving class. We did have about 15 people cancel due to the heavy snow we received yesterday and this morning, but we still had an exceptional turnout.” Chief Samantha J. Cole added.
During the 1950s and ’60s, civil rights icon Martin Luther King, Jr. recognized the power of service to strengthen communities and achieve common goals. As he once said, “Everybody can be great because everybody can serve.”
Initiated by Congress in 1994, King Day of Service honors that legacy by transforming the federal holiday honoring Dr. King into a national day of community service grounded in his teachings of nonviolence and social justice. Instead of its being just another day off from school or work, the aim is to make the holiday it a day ON, where people of all ages and backgrounds can come together to strengthen their community, bridge social barriers, and move our nation closer to the “Beloved Community” that Dr. King envisioned.
King Day of Service has grown steadily since its inception. With thousands of projects planned in all 50 states, the 2009 King Day of Service promises to be the biggest and best ever. This year Maine has projects from~Lebanon to Houlton!
“The students filled out their course evaluations and they all stated they were very satisfied with the class. They thanked the rescue for offering the class at no charge and volunteering their time. In todays class, we ~taught many different professions, from firefighters, EMT’s, police officers and dispatchers to nurses and teachers, we had a very diverse group of students.” Assistant Chief Jason Cole added.
“We are thankful to the Maine Commission for Community Service for their grant and to the Hanson School for letting us utilize their great facilities. Thanks to Principal Tom Ledue and Jay Turcotte from the school district for helping with the class facilities. We would also like to thank the Seacoast Trail Riders for their donation which purchased a new digital video projector used today and we will be able to utilize for all our future classes. And thanks to everyone who has made a donation to the rescue corporation either by attending a bean supper or sending a donation, these donations make our community education so successful.” Chief Samantha Cole added.
Today’s class cost about $2,000 to put on.~ Due to donations, the cost was free to the students and no cost to the taxpayers.
Our event was recognized by the National Martin Luther King Day of Service Committee, the President Elect Barack Obama Inaugural Committee and by the Maine Commission for Community Service.
“We had a representative from the Governor’s Office Commission for Community Service come down from Augusta who was impressed with the program.” Chief Samantha Cole added. “Several students asked if we could have more classes for their family members, they said the training made them feel more comfortable if they encountered a medical emergency like sudden cardiac arrest.”
“Lebanon was designated as one of Maine’s first five Heart Safe Communities. The rescue department worked hard to earn the designation, by holding classes in the community like these. We also received a grant to place AED’s in the schools, town office and rescue vehicles. It is an honor to have been in the first five towns designated across the entire state as a Heart Safe Community.”~ Chief Samantha Cole added.
In order to be designated a Maine HeartSafe Community, applicants must meet certain criteria that help improve cardiovascular health and decrease death and disability associated with cardiovascular events. The criteria are as follows:
- The EMS program, and/or their community partners must offer CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) training to their community members.
- The EMS program, and/or their community partners must offer cardiovascular-related education and/or awareness activities in their community.
- At least one emergency response designated vehicle must be equipped with an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).
- Placement of at least one permanent AED with AED-trained personnel in public or private areas where many people are likely to congregate or be at higher risk for cardiac arrest (such as shopping malls, large employers, airports, etc.).
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support is dispatched to all priority medical emergencies, either as primary responders, or as ALS backup. ALS backup may occur on-scene, en-route, or at the hospital Emergency Department.
- The EMS program has an ongoing process to evaluate and improve the "Chain of Survival" in their community.
Why is it important for a community to have this designation?
·~~~~~~~~ Early recognition of the signs and symptoms associated with sudden cardiac arrest, heart attack and stroke, immediate access to emergency services, and prompt medical treatment are all crucial to prevent future events, save lives and reduce medical costs and disability. Maine HeartSafe Communitiesdesignation promotes enhancements to each of these important links, and recognizes a community’s dedication to improving its "Chain of Survival" through partnerships with the local Emergency Medical Services (EMS) program.~
Lebanon usually responds to about 12 cardiac arrests in a year, but in a three week period between the end of November and the middle of December, the rescue had responded to three cardiac arrests, including a 15 month old, a male in his early 30’s and a male in his early 40’s.
For more information on Lebanon Rescue’s community education programs, you can visit our website at www.lebanonrescue.com or you can email the rescue chief at chiefcole@lebanonrescue.com to be added to upcoming notices of classes in the area.
| 
