On February 22, Quileute Head Start hosted their 2nd annual Family First Aid Night in LaPush, and it was attended by more than 250 people from Forks and LaPush. Families were given information and hands-on guidance on many health and safety topics.

The purpose of this event was to give people the tools and information necessary to prevent or treat emergency situations. It is important for families to be educated and prepared, as every second counts when there is an injury. There were 52 presenters discussing the topics of: car seat safety, safe driving, pedestrian safety, home safety, first aid kit preparation, anti-bullying, student support, domestic violence prevention, community resilience, elder health & safety, child wellness, dental sports safety, lice prevention and treatment, safe sex, basic wound care, CPR, obstructed airway, stop the bleed, trauma and medical emergencies, fire safety, water safety, community safety, prescription drug safety, SAR, and many more.

The idea for this event came to me a few years ago after I had dealt with multiple medical emergencies with my own child. It made me wonder how many parents are prepared to deal with issues with their children, such as choking or not breathing. In these situations, and others, every single second counts. If parents had the resources and knowledge to treat such emergency situations it could potentially limit the lasting effects of an injury, or even save their child’s life. But how many parents have access to this information and hands-on guidance? Events like this are necessary for our communities. It is our opportunity to reach out and offer this knowledge to families. Our community first responders, and others invested in the health and safety of families, have been so willing to jump on board and participate each year! This is a beautiful example of community initiative to make a positive change! (Rebecca Schwartz – Health & Family Manager at Quileute Head Start)

Clallam County Fire Chief Bill Paul stated, “I think that it was an absolute success. Having all of the emergency responders together shows that we all work together and have one common goal and that is to provide the best service to our community! People left with a wealth of knowledge on the basic fundamentals and ideas to keep their families safe.”

EMT Bridgette Soha shared her thoughts on the evening, “It was a great event for the people of our community to attend because it offered information on so many important topics. It’s a great thing for any community and I would love to see it continue to grow and be expanded to other communities”.

Washington State Patrol Officer Allen Nelson stated, “It was awesome to see that many local folks turn out. It was a huge success!”

Ruby Nelson shared, “The second annual Family First Aid Night brought together first responders and invested community members to help families stay safe. We were able to educate even more families this year than last year. I feel that it was a great success, and if we helped even one child stay safe or one parent know what to do in an emergency it was all worth it.”

Head Start greatly appreciated all of the presenters that participated in the event: Ruby Nelson, State Trooper Allen Nelson, Quileute Head Start, Quileute Childcare staff, QVSD ECEAP, QVSD Student Support Team, Quileute Tribe New Beginnings, Clallam County Emergency Management, Olympic Agency on Aging, First Steps Family Support, Quileute Events Team, Quileute Health Clinic, Bogachiel Clinic, Jay Matsen/QTS, LaPush Fire Department, Forks Ambulance Crew, Coast Guard Station QR, Forks Police Dept., Clallam County Sheriff’s Dept, Clallam County SAR, and Clallam County Fire Dept. We also appreciated the generous donations by Forks Outfitters and Chinook Pharmacy.