Child safety tips for National Safe Boating Week

Safe Kids USA is cautioning families to stay safe on the water during National Safe Boating Week, recognized May 21-27.

Safe Kids encourages boaters to take a boating education class and have their boat undergo a vessel safety check before hitting the water. Free annual checks are provided by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Safe Kids also recommends these tips to keep children safe near the water:
• Be sure children on boats or near open bodies of water wear the correct size and type of life jacket as approved by the Coast Guard.
• Actively supervise children in and around open water, appointing a designated watcher to provide undivided attention.
• Enroll your children in swimming lessons once they reach age 4. Teach them how to tread water, float and stay near the shore.
• Make sure children only swim in areas specifically designated for swimming.
• Teach children to be aware of uneven surfaces, currents, undertow and changing weather when swimming in open water.
• Do not allow children to operate watercraft such as Jet Skis. These are intended for adults and require special training.
• Teach children never to dive into oceans, lakes or rivers.

Source: The National Safety Council

First aid training can mean the difference between life and death

Is your company in compliance?
Are your employees at risk?

Ask yourself these questions:
• Is your company located less than four minutes away from EMS responders?
• Are your employees trained to recognize and respond to a life-threatening situation?
• Do you have an onsite emergency response team?

If you answer "NO" to even one of these questions, the chances of survival for an employee who experiences cardiac arrest or other medical emergency are severely diminished.

ESC can help. We offer:

First Aid / CPR / AED Instructor training courses, so your trainer can train our employees,

Open enrollment First Aid / CPR / AED at our Seattle Training Center, and

Onsite training throughout the northwest. We can come to your organization and train instructors or individuals.

For more information call or email Stephanie today 1-800-521-0778.

Attention ASHI Instructors

We have finally received word on the new ASHI instructor/student materials. All of the following items are available for pre-order at this time for delivery in the middle of June. Only instructors that have gone through the Instructor Upgrade will be allowed to purchase the new material.

• BFA Instructor Package (DVD & PPT) - $115


• BFA Instructor Manual - $50


• BFA Student Book/Card - $8


• CPR/AED Instructor Package (DVD & PPT) - $115


• CPR/AED Instructor Manual - $50


• CPR/AED Student Book/Card - $7


• BFA/CPR/AED Student Book/Card - $9.75


• CPR Pro Instructor Package (DVD & PPT) - $115


• CPR Pro Instructor Manual - $50


• CPR Pro Student Book/Card - $8.5

Each instructor is required to have an Instructor Guide for each program they teach. Each company (and it’s locations) are required to have a package. A letter will be mailed to each instructor next week with more details on when the material should be ready, etc.

To place a pre-order you can send Stephanie an email or call 800-521-0778 to speak with Stephanie or Chris.

Prevent heat-related illnesses

As most of you know Washington State and California has a heat illness rule that requires employers to protect outdoor workers from heat illnesses. OSHA is now getting into the mix.

Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis announced on April 26th a national outreach initiative by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration to educate workers and their employers about the hazards of working outdoors in the heat and steps needed to prevent heat-related illnesses.

To see her complete release, please check out this link. Also, if you do have outdoor workers you need to get your heat illness prevention program up and running, because it is time.