AEDs for WODs

July 2018: Instructor Jarrett Chisholm with CrossFit Above All owner Curtis Laughren showing off the AED purchased with funds raised from the November 2017 First Aid fundraiser.

Hi there! It’s been a while since I’ve posted about what’s been happening with Delta Emergency Support Training. Here’s a quick update on what happened from the charity Automated External Defibrillator (AED) fundraiser event last November.

Curtis Laughren, the owner of CrossFit Above All approached me about training his staff in Standard First Aid and the use of an AED in the summer of 2017. I jumped at the opportunity to teach a course at his CrossFit box, and we scheduled a course for November. I decided to make the course a charity event for purchasing an AED for his gym, because it’s one of the necessary treatments for a cardiac arrest - especially in a place with high intensity workouts with a multitude of members and visitors.

Curtis’s first thought was, “Now that we’re getting an AED, we can workout so much HARDER!” I thought he should know that AEDs can’t cure rhabdomyolysis, but he was just too excited to hear me. Haha.

The students were great, which made the day super fun. The final scenario of the day had half the class wearing fake injuries and spurting out fake blood from arterial bleeding. Some of the First Aiders seemed surprised, but they all worked together as a team and handled injuries collectively.

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I donated my instructing time and all net profits from the 8 people that registered, and $787.13 was raised from course fees. I also ran a donation page through our website until the end of December, which saw people donate a total of $120.00 by the end of 2017. The grand total of funds raised for an AED was $907.13!

AEDs cost anywhere between $1500.00-$2000.00. The money raised from this event was able to cover about half of the cost of an AED. Delta Emergency Support Training delivered the funds and some AED recommendations to CrossFit Above All in January 2017. Curtis was able to find the right AED for his business for the right price a few months later, and purchased the Phillips HeartStart for his box.

I ran a blended learning course for 8 people, which included CrossFit coaches and local chiropractors from Peak Health & Performance. Blended learning allows a student complete the 8 hours of reading material at their own pace online over a month. The class day for blended learning is all about the hands-on skills. The 1 day of skills lasts between 6.5-8 hours, and everyone becomes certified in Standard First Aid + CPR/AED.

I’m happy to have been part of the movement for promoting safety at a local fitness centre.

If you’re interested in becoming certified in how to use an AED properly, send me message, or give me a call at 1-844-643-3582.

-Jarrett