Vessel Safety Check Mega Week:

                    May 17 through July 6

Sponsored by United States Coast Guard Auxiliary & United States Power Squadrons®

The intent of this event is to focus attention on the Vessel Safety Check Program through the participation of CG Auxiliary flotillas, USPS squadrons and various partnering organizations including marine retailers, marinas and yacht clubs.

Time Frame and Locations

Beginning with National Safe Boating Week, this event ends after the busy 4th of July weekend. During this seven week (eight weekends) time frame a focused and concentrated effort will be organized to perform VSCs at ramps, marinas, yacht clubs and other locations throughout your community.

Planning and Advertising Efforts

The planning phase for local events should begin as soon as practical. Flotillas and Squadrons should contact their local partnering businesses to solicit their participation in supporting the event by either sponsoring a VSC station or helping to advertise the event. Printed lists of VSC station dates and sites should be made available to the partners/sponsors for distribution to the boating public. The retail partners should be encouraged to publicize not only the event but also any equipment discount program they offer to encourage obtaining a VSC. In addition, the Flotillas and Squadrons should mount a coordinated public affairs effort in their local media and should actively promote the event during National Safe Boating Week. Local CG Auxiliary flotillas and USPS squadrons are encouraged to coordinate and/or combine their efforts to eliminate duplication at the local level.

Key For Success

By careful planning and commitment of resources, the 2008 VSC Mega Weeks will be successful. Establish a “Performance Team” to plan the local event: Program Visitors, PE Instructors, Public Affairs specialists, and Vessel Examiners. Engage ALL of your vessel examiners in the planning effort to insure their commitment to the event. And be sure to recruit and qualify vessel examiner trainees.

Promote Our Other Boating Safety Programs

While doing VSCs be sure to promote our public education courses, maritime domain awareness, and organizational membership. The Marina/Yacht Club Safe Boater program has a template for engaging all of these activities. Consult with your RBS- Program Visitor for details of the program

USCG Auxiliary Dept of and USPS Committee for Vessel Safety Check & RBS Visitation Program

          (Reprinted from FOR SAFETY’S SAKE, the official VE Dept newsletter)

Experts Now Recommend Hands-Only CPR

You can skip the mouth-to-mouth breathing and just press on the chest to save a life. In a major change, the American Heart Association said Monday that hands-only CPR — rapid, deep presses on the victim's chest until help arrives — works just as well as standard CPR for sudden cardiac arrest in adults.

Experts hope bystanders will now be more willing to jump in and help if they see someone suddenly collapse. Hands-only CPR is simpler and easier to remember and removes a big barrier for people skittish about the mouth-to-mouth breathing.

"You only have to do two things. Call 911 and push hard and fast on the middle of the person's chest," said Dr. Michael Sayre, an emergency medicine professor at Ohio State University who headed the committee that made the recommendation.

Hands-only CPR calls for uninterrupted chest presses — 100 a minute — until paramedics take over or an automated external defibrillator is available to restore a normal heart rhythm.

This action should be taken only for adults who unexpectedly collapse, stop breathing and are unresponsive. The odds are that the person is having cardiac arrest — the heart suddenly stops — which can occur after a heart attack or be caused by other heart problems. In such a case, the victim still has ample air in the lungs and blood and compressions keep blood flowing to the brain, heart and other organs.

A child who collapses is more likely to primarily have breathing problems — and in that case, mouth-to-mouth breathing should be used. That also applies to adults who suffer lack of oxygen from a near-drowning, drug overdose, or carbon monoxide poisoning. In these cases, people need mouth-to-mouth to get air into their lungs and bloodstream.

But in either case, "Something is better than nothing," Sayre said.

The CPR guidelines had been inching toward compression-only. The last update, in 2005, put more emphasis on chest pushes by alternating 30 presses with two quick breaths; those "unable or unwilling" to do the breaths could do presses alone.

Now the heart association has given equal standing to hands-only CPR. Those who have been trained in traditional cardiopulmonary resuscitation can still opt to use it.

Sayre said the association took the unusual step of making the changes now — the next update wasn't due until 2010 — because three studies last year showed hands-only was as good as traditional CPR. Hands-only will be added to CPR training.

An estimated 310,000 Americans die each year of cardiac arrest outside hospitals or in emergency rooms. Only about 6 percent of those who are stricken outside a hospital survive, although rates vary by location. People who quickly get CPR while awaiting medical treatment have double or triple the chance of surviving. But less than a third of victims get this essential help.

Dr. Gordon Ewy, who's been pushing for hands-only CPR for 15 years, said he was "dancing in the streets" over the heart association's change even though he doesn't think it goes far enough. Ewy (pronounced AY-vee) is director of the University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center in Tucson, where the compression-only technique was pioneered.

Ewy said there's no point to giving early breaths in the case of sudden cardiac arrest, and it takes too long to stop compressions to give two breaths — 16 seconds for the average person. He noted that victims often gasp periodically anyway, drawing in a little air on their own.

Anonymous surveys show that people are reluctant to do mouth-to-mouth, Ewy said, partly because of fear of infections.

"When people are honest, they're not going to do it," he said. "It's not only the yuck factor."

In recent years, emergency service dispatchers have been coaching callers in hands-only CPR rather than telling them how to alternate breaths and compressions.

"They love it. It's less complicated and the outcomes are better," said Dallas emergency medical services chief Dr. Paul Pepe, who also chairs emergency medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

One person who's been spreading the word about hands-only CPR is Temecula, Calif., chiropractor Jared Hjelmstad, who helped save the life of a fellow health club member in Southern California

Hjelmstad, 40, had read about it in a medical journal and used it on Garth Goodall, who collapsed while working out at their gym in February. Hjelmstad's 15-year-old son Josh called 911 in the meantime.

Hjelmstad said he pumped on Goodall's chest for more than 12 minutes — encouraged by Goodall's intermittent gasps — until paramedics arrived. He was thrilled to find out the next day that Goodall had survived.

On Sunday, he visited Goodall in the hospital where he is recovering from triple bypass surgery.

"After this whole thing happened, I was on cloud nine," said Hjelmstad. "I was just fortunate enough to be there."

Goodall, a 49-year-old construction contractor, said he had been healthy and fit before the collapse, and there'd been no hint that he had clogged heart arteries.

"I was lucky," he said. Had the situation been reversed, "I wouldn't have known what to do."

"It's a second lease on life," he added.

___

On the Net: Taken from an article found on Comcast Front Page

Heart Association: http://www.americanheart.org/handsonlycpr

Sarver Heart Center: http://www.heart.arizona.edu/

April,2008

MINUTES March 4, 2008 U.S.C.G. AUXILIARY, FLOTILLA 86
Vice Commander Juan Hernandez called the meeting to order at 1930 with 24 members and guest, USCG retired Vice Admiral A. Bruce Beran. The Pledge of Allegiance and Invocation followed.

VFC REPORT: Juan Hernandez:

* Ed Stebner doing well. He was able to attend the picnic.

* 2008 Directories available from Harry Bruno.

* TCT 1 hr and IT workshops given last Tuesday.

* Developing course for community families for May 3rd at the Elks club. 10-15 minute classes will cover everything from parts of the boat to fitting life jackets and boat equipment. A boat simulator will be present. Venice Marine Police will participate and Patrick Wheeler will have his wave runner there. Judi Bidwick will be in touch with instructors. We will need assistance as we expect 200 people.

* Newsletter will be on line tomorrow.

* Fellowship picnic was a success thanks to J.D. Harrison and assistants. Thank you to Janice Marmion and the Rovers who provided wonderful music Next picnic is scheduled in about two months.

* A fellowship cruise is being planned by Lou Magyar for two overnights.

* A 10 day Caribbean cruise for members is scheduled for December. Get in your reservations.

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING: A motion was made and seconded to accept the February Minutes as they appear in the Fore and Aft. All voted in favor.

FINANCE REPORT: Janet Heijens presented the Finance Report. Motion made, seconded and all voted in favor to approve, subject to audit.

PRESENTATIONS: Retired USCG Vice Admiral A. Bruce Beran made an interesting and informative presentation to members regarding his experiences in the USCG. He was well received.

IN_SERVICE: An in-service was presented by Henry Reynolds on the new calendar system online. He explained the log-in and details of managing the calendar to members. He asked that members access and use the calendar. He reminded all that the old calendar will disappear after March 15 and to be sure to transfer information you wish to include on the new calendar.

STAFF REPORTS:

FSO-CS: Henry Reynolds stated Newsletter will be online by tomorrow.

FSO-CM: Garland Russ stated he will include patrols and watchstanders on the online calendar.

FSO-MA: Ruth Bruno reminded everyone the 7th District store will close in the near future to move. Be sure to get your orders in. There is no firm date at present.

FSO-MT: J.D. Harrison said there would be another picnic in about 2 months.

FSO-OP: Jim Sleichert announced there were 18 patrols scheduled so far, with only one being cancelled due to weather. He asked members to schedule boats for OWT. Jim is presently doing inventory on life vests' impact rating. The Coast Guard will require vests with a 50mph impact after a certain date.

DSO-OP, Gabby Gray has asked for a listing of the number of vests we have and their impact rating, as well as the impact rating for our mustang suits and float coats. Gabby will explore issues on the new vests.

FSO-PE: Ruth Bruno said a class of 30 will graduate on Monday, 3/10. GPS registration is March 20 and the ACN class is still in session. An ABC class is scheduled in April.

FSO-PS: Paul Corcoran is working with one new member candidate in March.

MAINTENANCE: J.D. Harrison announced G. Russ fixed the lights out front and Lou Magyar and Juan Hernandez repaired the leak in the bathroom.

OLD BUSINESS: VFC Hernandez spoke about the changes with the Nokomis building. He and Judi Bidwick will attend a meeting with Commander Folsom and the County on March 14th.

NEW BUSINESS: Lou Magyar announced he is working on plans for an overnight trip to either Island Seas Resort (formerly So. Seas Plnt) or another marina for the end of April or beginning of May. More information will follow.

Letter: VFC Hernandez read a letter from King's Gate Park congratulating Patrick Wheeler on the fine job he did at the vessel exams held at King's Gate on 1/24 and 2/8.

There being no further business the meeting was adjourned at 2040.

Respectfully submitted,
Ruth Bruno, Secretary
USCG Auxiliary, Flotilla 86

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