Glencoe police, fire departments supply schools with devices designed to save choking victims

When Glencoe Police Chief Kenon McKenzie presented to Fire Chief Richard Johnson the idea of supplying local schools and day cares with a potentially life-saving device, he didn't have to ask twice.

This week, they began distributing LifeVac devices — which can be used to pull obstructions from the airway of a choking child or adult — to the city's three day cares and to its schools.

As Johnson explained, the devices have a mask that fits over the face of a choking victim, with a plunger-like attachment that can be used to suction the blockage from the airway.

"I have a child in day care and one in elementary school," McKenzie said. "Thinking as a parent, I would want them to have this available."

When they investigated, the chiefs found the LifeVac devices cost about $69 each, and they determined it would be well worth the expenditure to provide them.

Rivereast Preschool Director Tammy Clark said the school was grateful for the devices, and for donations of hand sanitizer and cleaning supplies from the two departments. "We've never had an incident with a child choking," she said, but it is always a possibility.

According to information from LifeVac Marketing Director Laura Bonelli, it is not a rare occurrence.

She provided the following statistics:

• A child dies from choking every five days.

• Choking is the fourth leading cause of accidental death.

• Choking takes the life of 5,000 people a year.

LifeVac, she said, has saved more than 500 people during choking emergencies.

"The first instinct when a child is choking is to reach into their mouth," Johnson said, to try to remove whatever is obstructing their breathing. "Their first instinct is to chomp down on your fingers."

Both chiefs said the device is not meant to take the place of the Heimlich maneuver to help a choking victim. But not everyone knows how to perform that life-saving action.

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"This is easy, very simple to use," McKenzie said.

"We want to give parents the assurance that these facilities all have the ability to help their child," he said, if an emergency occurs.

McKenzie said schools may want to keep the devices close to the cafeteria, where they might be most likely to be needed; that decision will be up to the facilities that receive them.

There are people who have LifeVacs in their homes, he said, and they are affordable enough to do that.

"Someone's life — you can't put a price on that," Johnson said.

The departments will get more LifeVacs and place a device at the public library, too. McKenzie said he believed LifeVacs would be a welcome addition at restaurants as well.

McKenzie said they'd gotten a quantity of hand sanitizer and cleaning supplies, adding, "My thought is it shouldn't be sitting in a closet."

Johnson said the departments are happy to be able to make these donations to schools and day cares.

"Sometimes public safety gets a bad rap," he said, and perhaps efforts like this one will help give a better perception.

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Police, fire departments give schools tool to help save choking victims