The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is providing LifeVac Airway Clearance devices to its deputies and businesses throughout the county at no cost to taxpayers.
“The LifeVac Airway Clearance device is a non-powered, non-invasive, single-use choking rescue device that may be used in choking emergencies,” to use when something else, like the Heimlich maneuver, doesn’t work, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The device has been used to save more than 4,000 lives, according to LifeVac’s website.
The Sheriff’s Office used $18,985 from the Florida Contraband Forfeiture Act to purchase 400 LifeVac EMS kits, the Sheriff’s Office stated.
Each kit includes the LifeVac Airway Clearance device, adult and pediatric masks, and instructions for use.
“The kits will be distributed to all Flagler County licensed businesses that serve food, including restaurants, bars, coffee shops, hotels, and golf clubs,” according to the Sheriff’s Office. It will provide kits to over 265 businesses across Flagler County.
“The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is saving lives,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “I have saved two lives using the Heimlich maneuver in my career, once as Sheriff. You never know when a choking event may occur, so by providing restaurants across the county with these rescue devices, we hope to save lives in partnership with our business community. And we are taking profits from poison peddlers and providing these rescue devices at no cost to the taxpayers or the businesses.”
Businesses that serve food to get devices
Besides receiving the kits, eligible businesses will also get stickers to place on windows showing that the device is onsite in case of an emergency and an information letter beginning June 20.
“I really appreciate Sheriff Staly and the Sheriff’s Office for providing us with a LifeVac,” said Janine Thomas, owner of Southern Table Restaurant in Bunnell. “It’s something you hope you never have to use, but knowing it’s here gives us real peace of mind. Our staff feels better prepared, and it shows the kind of care and community partnership that really matters.”
Some Flagler Sheriff’s Office deputies will also have them
The kits will also be distributed to all deputies in the Community Policing Division so they can be placed in their patrol vehicles. All FCSO patrol vehicles are already equipped with automated external defibrillators, and patrol cars assigned to deputies that patrol the western, rural areas of the county are equipped with Mobilize Comprehensive Rescue Systems.
“Oftentimes, our patrol deputies are the first to arrive to an emergency and this gives them another tool, just like our AEDs, to save a life,” Staly added. “And the best part of this program is money seized from poison peddlers paid for them!”
A LIfeVac device should not be reused for sanitary reasons.
If the LifeVac Airway Clearance device is used in a choking emergency, the company’s website states the user should fill out the “Report LifeVac Usage” form to get a free replacement unit.
“While the device itself never expires, LifeVac recommends replacing the masks every two to three years. For more information on the device, visit www.lifevac.net.” The businesses will be responsible for mask replacement, if they choose to, the Sheriff’s Office stated.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Flagler Sheriff’s Office distributes anti-choke devices to businesses that serve food
Reporting by Frank Fernandez, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
