Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm
Reporter – News Analyst
July 5, 2018 11:00 a.m.
The Sunrise Rotary Club was chartered in late 2007. Since then it has been in the forefront when it comes to helping out worthy community causes. Their members and fundraising efforts have helped many causes and organizations, including but not limited to Eight Flags Playscapes, the Boys and Girls Cub, Friends of Fernandina Aviation scholarships, the Nassau County Council on Aging and Wolfson Children’s Hospital, Arts Alive!, and Friends of the Fernandina Beach Library.
One of their recent efforts provided a needed assist to the Fernandina Beach Fire Department. Club President Mickey Ulmer, accompanied by many of his members, formally presented the city with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) instruction materials, including newly mandated instrumented directive feedback manikins at the July 3, 2018 Fernandina Beach City Commission (FBCC) meeting.
Ulmer told commissioners that he was proud to present these materials because, “We are inspired by what [the city’s emergency medical personnel] do. We want to be inspiring to our community, and I hope that through this contribution we do so.”
On behalf of the city, Fire Department Captain Brad Richardson and Chief Ty Silcox received the Rotary’s contributions. Richardson reminded the audience that each year in the United States about 350,000 people experience out of hospital cardiac arrests. Survival rate is 4-7 percent. “The one thing that can make a difference,” he said, “is field CPR. If a layperson is the first person on the scene, uses CPR, contacts 911, that’s what can make a difference. That’s why we are so grateful to this Rotary Club for donating training materials and the manikins so we can provide classes to the community.”
Richardson emphasized that the Fire Department is trying to create a win-win situation for the community by training residents who can provide initial, critical assistance in cardiac arrest cases to help more people survive.
Chief Ty Silcox added his thanks for the Rotary’s assistance. “Partnerships like this are what make our community great,” he said. Silcox invited the public to reach out to his department for CPR training by calling (904) 277-7331 or emailing [email protected].