H.B. Neild Safety Director Quais “Q” Savoir knows real world response is tough to predict, no matter how much emergency response training is provided.
“You can go through all the training classes and what to do in certain situations for first response, so on and so forth, but it’s all about providing the guys the tools necessary to be successful,” he said.
“I’ve learned, especially in my military background and also working in construction, you can gather a group of 10 people who are CPR, first aid, AED-certified. Some people will still freeze in those situations. Those are life-changing events. If I can just get one person out of the 10 to respond in that moment, it can be a determination factor of life and death. That’s the big picture.”
Savoir helped organize approximately 100 H.B. Neild Construction employees from the field to the office to receive comprehensive CPR training.
Two days of instruction involved the entire staff, focusing on proper heart or respiratory response for all ages.
Additional training spotlights were for choking protocols, adverse medicinal impacts and various other emergency procedures.
Using training dummies and response equipment, certified instructor Jeanne May led team members through all the steps necessary for proper response.
Instruction also included tips for evaluation and execution when dealing with victims of different sizes and ages.
“Ms. May is a prime example of what inspires me as far as instruction,” Savoir said.
“It’s not just about PowerPoints or reading a verbatim of what you find in the studies. Ms. May provided life experiences along with the instruction, describing a scenario in which you work the response. That is better than reading word for word from what a document states.”
May, of MayDay CPR & First Aid Training, shared the latest strategies from the American Heart Association, Red Cross, ASHI, and Safety Institute USA. She is also a Texas-certified health teacher.
Each attendee practiced on dummies and participated in detailed question-and-answer sessions.
May also shared suggestions for products and response items that could make for more useful home and workplace first aid kits.