Written by Peter VIllaume (aka Thumper)
After attending the NEDIV Conference at Lackawanna Station in Scranton PA, we learned about the process of requesting and receiving grant opportunities from the SCCA Foundation. The process had been streamlined and simplified into an online form, with a quarterly disbursement of awards. This made for a timely transition from reward to implementation, that better suits how we operate.
NER Emergency Services team requested enough money to support SOLO, RallyX and Road Racing with a CPR and AED training course. The CPR course was the trickiest scheduling issue, with all three groups having different dates in the calendar already set. SOLO came up with an available date first, so we went with it – which happened to be June 2nd. Long time NER member Brandi Shydo, an a American Red Cross CPR/AED trainer, opened up her schedule to have a Hybrid style course in Manchester, NH. All three racing programs were represented, and seemed to enjoy the interaction with each other. The Hybrid course requires a little effort prior to the hands on portion, but also reduced a 5-7 hour classroom session, down to 2-3 hours of straight hands on learning, and little screen learning.
In the end, 10 NER-SCCA members passed the course, which means we are all that much safer at our many events, and in the public as well. The region’s AEDs are in available in locations that people can find easily. At SOLO events, there are in the timing truck. At Road Racing it is in the ES Chief’s RV (Thumper and Blossom’s white Winnebago) after hours, and during races in the primary response truck.
With the advent of early access to quality CPR and AED intervention proving to save lives, we are hoping this little step and support by the SCCA Foundation will continue to keep us in the right direction of providing healthy, safe racing environments for all our members.
