Testimonial

Starbucks

A recent Fairfax CERT graduate entered a Starbuck’s café in Fredericksburg, VA. The CERT grad observed an older, heavyset female vomiting in a trash can, while the people in the café moved away from her. The CERT grad approached the woman, explained he was medically trained and asked if he could be of assistance.

She agreed and in response to his questions revealed that she’d sustained a head injury the night prior where she was unconscious for several minutes and that her husband was shopping in Target. She was vomiting, nauseous, dizzy, and confused. CERT grad directed the barista to call 911 and had a Target employee contact the husband via the intercom, while CERT grad positioned her safely, comforted her, and relayed the situation and vitals to the 911 operator on the barista’s phone.

CERT grad protected himself from any harmful fluids and kept her talking to help her maintain consciousness. EMS arrived within 4 minutes, where he relayed the situation, her known medical history (e.g., high blood pressure) and provided her valuables (purse, iPad, etc.) to her husband. As EMS moved her to the ambulance she lost consciousness, and they took immediate steps to revive her.

I relay this situation because I realized that even though I’ve maintained up to date first aid training throughout my adult life, had I not recently taken CERT, I would likely have handled things very differently, if not at all.

  1. Given COVID, the flu, and other communicable diseases, I may not have engaged at all, failing to realize there is a safe way to provide aid in most situations.

  2. Given that she was overweight, I may have given into biases that may have allowed me to construct a story as to why she was ill, rather than inquire if she needed help.

  3. If I’d engaged before my CERT training, I’d have likely tried to do it all-call 911, track down the husband, etc.

  4. I wouldn’t have been as confident in what information was relevant to EMS personnel.

  5. Lastly, I realize the skills and confidence CERT afforded me, led to affording her medical professionals on site sooner, thereby providing her the greatest likelihood of survival and recovery.