Health
Matters
Camp 911 - Leslie Bek
For fifty Marquette County sixth
graders, "911" has a whole new meaning. They
recently took part in Camp 911; a weekend get-away designed to teach
sixth-grade students how to prevent common traffic and home injuries.
Held at the South Marquette County YMCA facility at Sawyer, the two-day
camp provided an interactive introduction to Emergency Medical Services,
Fire and Law Enforcement, simple life-saving and emergency care for
injured persons.
The primary purpose was to educate youth in matters related
to injury prevention. And by all accounts, especially from the campers'
point-of-view, Marquette County's first Camp 911 was a huge success.
But why would a sixth grader commit an entire weekend to Camp 911?
One group of campers—Ashley Sicotte of Phelps School,
Adam Koski of Aspen Ridge, Jacob Haralson and Amy Toenneson of Gilbert
School, Edward Korpi and Krista Le Febrve of Sawyer School—all
agreed Camp 911 was a fun weekend. Most said they thought the camp
would help them become better babysitters—a few dreamed of becoming
police officers one day and thought the camp would be a good chance
to see what they really do.
The local American Red Cross used the opportunity to set-up
and train disaster assistance volunteers. Their efforts included registering
the campers and setting up cots for the campers' overnight stay. The
Salvation Army pitched in with an emergency canteen on wheels—providing
snacks, beverages and meals for the campers, counselors, trainers
and other volunteers.
The idea for Camp 911 originated with emergency medical
staff downstate and the State of Michigan Office of Highway Safety
& Planning. Camps have been held in recent years throughout the
Upper Peninsula including Alger, Baraga, Dickinson and Houghton counties.
While each camp is unique to the local planner's resources,
every camp strives to instill lessons of injury prevention, skills
to intervene at accident scenes and the promotion of EMS and law enforcement
as career choices. Planning for the two-day event began over six months
ago according to Camp Director and MGH EMS Paramedic Gary Gustafson.
"Our planning crew was made up of volunteers from throughout
area law enforcement and EMS/First Responder crews. Gerald Kasten,
Director of the Marquette County Chapter American Red Cross and Lt.
Joe Irvine from the Salvation Army were also a tremendous help."
According to Gustafson, "Trauma is the number one
leading cause of death for our young people. Teaching them methods
of prevention is our primary strategy." Program instructors included
representatives of health care, emergency services and public safety
organizations. A young adult counselor was assigned to groups of three
to four campers to provide any assistance the team might need throughout
the weekend and to help keep everyone moving through the packed schedule.
The program focused on "Bystander Care: Five Steps for Saving
Lives which are:
1. Recognize the Emergency
2. Decide to Help
3. Contact the EMS system
4. Prevent further injuries (to victim and rescuer)
5. Assess the victim and provide bystander care.
There was no time to be bored, as the schedule of events
included: Tours of EMS and County Rescue Unit, Sheriff's Search &
Rescue, Fire, Police and National Guard vehicles; Traffic/Helmet Safety
demonstrations; 911 calling procedures; injury prevention/home safety/poisoning;
State Police K-9 demonstration; home alone emergencies; career presentations
for EMS, police, fire and medical proffessions. A hike was offered
to give campers an opportunity to learn about wilderness survival,
how not to get lost in the woods and how to build emergency shelters.
Recreational swim time in the YMCA pool also included a presentation
by the Sheriff Department's Dive Team on water rescues.
A series of six stations resembling a
M-A-S-H unit was arranged outside. Skills demonstrated at each station
were:
Assessment
Choking
Rescue Breathing
Pulse Check, CPR
Bleeding
Until EMS arrives
According to Camp Director Gustafson, "The camp is
a great opportunity for kids to have lessons reinforced with hands-on
activity to enhance their learning." The camp wasn't all work
and no play, however, as many fun things were packed in too, such
as a lakeside bonfire and marshmallow roast.
Closing ceremonies included presentation of certificates,
first aid kits, finger printing kits and smoke detectors. A promotional
video will be made from this year's camp to assist with recruitment
for next year. Once again, thanks to the dedication of local volunteers,
a quality program has been born.
—Leslie Bek
