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Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 28F. Winds light and variable..
Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 28F. Winds light and variable.
Kuna Fire District firefighters Eric Hemenway (left) and Kevin Krainock (right) with Ada County Paramedic Cody Price, practice moving JoJo Tuinstra out of his wheelchair using a special lifting device. The device was provided to the firefighters to help move JoJo in situations when his wheelchair may not be accommodated.
Kuna Fire District Firefighter Eric Hemenway practices transferring JoJo Tuinstra out of his wheelchair. Local first responders received special hands-on training in how to move people with special needs.
Kuna Fire District firefighters Eric Hemenway (left) and Kevin Krainock (right) with Ada County Paramedic Cody Price, practice moving JoJo Tuinstra out of his wheelchair using a special lifting device. The device was provided to the firefighters to help move JoJo in situations when his wheelchair may not be accommodated.
Kuna Fire District Firefighter Eric Hemenway practices transferring JoJo Tuinstra out of his wheelchair. Local first responders received special hands-on training in how to move people with special needs.
In unison, the three first responders easily transferred JoJo Tuinstra out of his motorized wheelchair using a Patient Mover Rescue Chair.
JoJo’s mother, LaDonna Tuinstra was all smiles as she looked on. “I like that,” she commented!
JoJo attended a function in which the only way into the venue was via a wheelchair lift. Everything worked fine going into the event. Coming out was another story!
The wheelchair lift failed and JoJo was unable to return to the sidewalk and back to his family’s van. Running out of options, someone suggested calling the fire department.
Firefighters from the Boise Fire Department were soon on scene! They carefully picked up JoJo and carried him down the stairs. They then carried JoJo’s wheelchair down the stairs so that JoJo could be on his way.
Although the firefighters did a great job bringing JoJo down the stairs, LaDonna knew there had to be a better and safer way to carry her son when using the wheelchair was not an option.
She remembered when JoJo was in high school. During practice fire drills, JoJo would use the elevator to get down from the upper floors. School administration told LaDonna that in a real fire, teachers would either carry JoJo down the stairs or use a stair chair to get JoJo down the stairs. However, teachers had never practiced with either method!
And more importantly, JoJo has never practiced this method!
What was also concerning to LaDonna was that her son faces the challenges of spastic cerebral palsy. When JoJo is calm, he experiences an occasional muscle spasm, what LaDonna calls a “twitch.” When JoJo is stressed, however, the “twitches” become much more severe and more frequent. This would make a stressful situation like an actual fire even more dangerous for JoJo and staff due to the novelty of a stair chair exit from the building.
LaDonna reached out to her friends at Courageous Kids Climbing. The nonprofit based in McCall, Idaho takes children with special needs rock wall climbing at free events throughout the western US. In addition to several members of the organization being first responders, first responders also support the events by learning firsthand how to work with people with special needs. Many of the agencies that support the events, treat the events as training for their rope rescue technicians.
Courageous Kids Climbing knew all about lifting people with special needs!
LaDonna was looking for some sort of “sling” that could be used to carry JoJo in those situations that would not accommodate his wheelchair. In her free time, she had searched the internet, but was unable to find something that would meet her needs while not being too expensive.
Courageous Kids Climbing reached out to their friends at MedSource and explained the problem, knowing that the company had the perfect solution!
MedSource sent ten Patient Mover Rescue Chairs to the nonprofit. The rescue chair was designed to be used to move patients between beds in a hospital or nursing home setting. MedSource never envisioned the rescue chair being used by first responders!
In February of 2023, a representative from Courageous Kids Climbing, along with JoJo and LaDonna, stopped by the Kuna Fire District station in JoJo’s hometown of Kuna, Idaho. These local firefighters were joined by a paramedic from Ada County Paramedics, the local EMS provider.
LaDonna explained to the first responders how best to get JoJo out of his wheelchair. Then, under the watchful eye of LaDonna, the first responders had the opportunity to see first-hand the challenges associated with moving someone from a wheelchair.
Various other methods of moving JoJo from his wheelchair were tried. All the methods worked and the first responders felt confident that they had the equipment on their rigs to safely move JoJo.
At this point in time, the Patient Mover Rescue Chair was brought out. Everyone was impressed with the small package that the device came and felt that it would easily fit into a backpack or in a compartment on the emergency vehicle.
First responders then slipped the Patient Mover Rescue Chair behind JoJo while he was seated in his wheelchair. Three first responders were able to easily pick up JoJo and move around with him. JoJo even commented that he felt very safe in the rescue chair.
LaDonna and JoJo were then given the Patient Mover Rescue Chair at no charge. A second Patient Mover Rescue Chair was provided by Courageous Kids Climbing to the Kuna Fire District as they plan to do more training with the device as well as placing it on their emergency squad.
This wasn’t the end of the story.
As the issues of emergency planning were being discussed, LaDonna was encouraged to contact the local emergency dispatch office and provide the dispatchers information about JoJo’s challenges. This information would be added to dispatch computer files and provided to first responders automatically when responding to an incident at LaDonna and JoJo’s home.
This is very important for any family with a family member with special needs to do and first responders welcome the information.
Information was also shared about Idaho’s Yellow Dot program. This program provides a yellow vinyl envelope to interested individuals. The envelope contains a medical information form that the individual completes and places back in the envelope. The yellow envelope is then placed in the glove box of the vehicle.
Also included in the envelope is yellow dot sticker that is placed on the rear window of the vehicle. This yellow dot alerts first responders to look for the yellow envelope in the glove box during an incident involving the occupants of the vehicle.
The suggestion was made to make a second copy of the information form and place it on the refrigerator for first responders when responding to a medical emergency at the home.
To receive a free Yellow Dot Kit, send an email request to YellowDot@dhw.idaho.gov
As the special training session came to a close, the first responders were shown how to operate the wheelchair. LaDonna also pointed out the best places to grab the wheelchair if it needed to be picked up.
The training then moved outside and the first responders where shown how the wheelchair is secured in the family’s van and how to operate the built-in ramp on the vehicle. First responders then had the opportunity to raise and lower the ramp manually, without the vehicle supplying power.
It was pointed out that all motorized wheelchairs and ramps in vehicles operate differently and that during an emergency, first responders may need to depend on caregivers to provide information on how to operate the wheelchair and the ramp.
As the training came to a close, it became apparent how important it is for families of people with special needs to consider talking with their local first responders and share information that may be helpful when responding to an emergency that may involve that child.
The genuine concern and interest shown by the members of the Kuna Fire District and Ada County Ambulance resulted in JoJo and LaDonna going home with a better feeling that their neighborhood first responders could better assist them in an emergency.
For more information on Courageous Kids Climbing, contact them at courageouskidsclimbing@gmail.com or visit them on Facebook.
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