Waterville Ambulance Service donates LifeVac devices, trains school nurses in their use during choking incidents


Training simulates use of LifeVac in choking incident ... Pictured above, Allamakee Community School District Nurses Kirby Jones (left) and Kathy Wood (right) simulate the usage of the LifeVac airway clearance device on student volunteer Josey Wood, elementary-aged son of Nurse Wood. The school nurses received training on the device from Waterville Ambulance Service members Loren Mitchell (far left) and Elliott Evanson following the donation of one of the devices to each school in the Allamakee Community School District by the Ambulance Service. The devices are designed to be used in the event of a choking incident to remove the blockage from the airway. Standard photo by Joe Moses.

Donating more than their time to try and help save lives ... Members of the Waterville Ambulance Service are pictured above with the LifeVac airway clearance devices the ambulance service donated to all schools in the Allamakee Community School District to have available in their school lunch rooms in the event of a choking incident. Left to right in the photo above are Elliott Evanson, Dennis Nebendahl, Bob Mettille, Jeff Mitchell, Darcy Mathis, Grady Dunham, Ashley Mitchell, Loren Mitchell, Lindsey Deason. Not pictured: Mike Van Iten, Chad Rathbun and Dave Monserud. Submitted photo.

by Joe Moses

Loren Mitchell, Paramedic and Vice President of the Waterville Ambulance Service, provided training and a demonstration Wednesday, April 5 at West Elementary School in Waukon with the assistance of EMT Elliott Evanson, also of the Waterville Ambulance Service.

Kirby Jones, School Nurse for West Elementary and Waukon High School, and Kathy Wood, School Nurse for East Elementary and Waukon Middle School, were part of this training session to learn effective use of the LifeVac airway clearance device, a manually-implemented vacuum apparatus used to try and save the lives of choking victims.

Student volunteer Josey Wood, elementary-aged son of Nurse Wood, participated in the training session as well.

Mitchell noted that the LifeVac device can save a choking victim when the Heimlich maneuver has not been successful or is not advisable due to another health concern. He discussed the high success rate of the LifeVac device, which includes an adult mask, a pediatric mask and a practice mask, in addition to the plunger mechanism used in clearing a victim’s airway.

Mitchell added that the LifeVac device has a one-way valve to release air initially while creating a vacuum and air-tight seal around the face mask, forcing an obstruction from the victim’s trachea with the use of the plunger portion of the device. An added benefit of the LifeVac brand device, as Mitchell explained, includes the replacement of these devices by the company following their one-time use.

As part of the training session, Mitchell initially had student volunteer Josey Wood seated in a chair for demonstration and practice relating to the procedure for a choking victim in a wheelchair. The young Wood then also laid on the floor to simulate the procedure as a choking victim in a reclined position.

School Nurses Wood and Jones outlined plans for teachers and staff to be trained in groups over the next week’s time with the five school district buildings to each have a LifeVac device available for staff use. The devices will be made available in the lunch rooms of each school.

Mitchell discussed the Waterville Ambulance Service’s donation of LifeVac devices to the elementary schools, junior high and high school in Waukon, in addition to area daycare centers and St. Patrick Catholic School in Waukon. He noted that this donation is being made by the Waterville Ambulance Service, advising that these devices will be beneficial in saving lives in situations where time can be an important factor.