By By KATHIE HEMPEL / Niles Daily Star
NILES – Laughing children are out playing in the park on a bright sunny day.
Suddenly there is a scream followed closely by cries for help from the children.
It all changes in a heartbeat. The ambulance is called.
Now thanks to the help of Kiwanis Club of Niles-Southwestern, the emergency teams of the Southwestern Michigan Community Ambulance Service (SMCAS), will be able to quickly identify the equipment needed in the event of a pediatric emergency.
"We always had pediatric equipment, but it would be stored in different compartments throughout the ambulance. Now we have three pediatric trauma kits all stored in an easily identified bag with everything we need to quickly help a child in need," Marlene Beach director of the service, said.
This was the Kiwanis' second time donating such kits to the Southwestern Michigan Community Ambulance Service. They donated one kit last fall and now with the two donated Wednesday, each of the service's three ambulances will be equipped with a kit.
"Pediatric trauma victims tend to go downhill very quickly. We hope we will never have to use them, but we know we will," Beach said.
The kits include everything needed when there is an emergency with a child. Blood pressure equipment, intubations and other airways equipment scaled to fit a child's needs are all housed in a bright multi-colored bag, easily distinguishable from other equipment at a time every moment counts Beach pointed out.
Kids are out of school. Accidents happen at playgrounds, skate parks, pools, and beaches as well as during many other summer activities.
"A large number of injuries we see are at the skate park, to those who are not wearing the appropriate protective gear. The same thing happens with kids or adults riding a bicycle without a helmet. Parents keeping an eye on the kids and how they play and conduct their activities is the largest preventive measure we have," Beach said.
She is grateful to Duane Kuemin, president of the Niles Kiwanis and all his members for their generous gifts. The $660 per kit price came from proceeds raised by the Kiwanis Mystery Dinner Theatre. The balance of the $5,000 raised went to the George I. Brown Scholarship Fund.