Latest news with #LifeVac
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Bronx councilwoman's bill would mandate life-saving ‘anti-choking' devices in all NYC schools
Every school in NYC would be required to have 'airway clearance devices' to help prevent choking deaths under a City Council bill gaining bipartisan steam. The legislation sponsored by Bronx Republican Kristy Marmorato would mandate that city schools stock the portable, suction-based devices on site. It already has support from 11 Democrats and four other Republicans, and was expected to be the subject of a public hearing this month. The devices, which can be self-administered and are considered an alternative to the Heimlich maneuver, usually run $50 to $70 each, but Long Island-based LifeVac has offered to supply each Big Apple school with a device and an instructional video on how they work at no charge, according to the company. Heidi Felix, LifeVac's vice president of sales, said the company has already donated more than 10,000 devices to schools nationwide and welcomes doing the same in NYC. There's more than 1,800 public schools and about 900 private schools in the Big Apple. The issue is personal for Marmorato. She had a scary incident eight years ago when her then-18-month-old daughter choked on a piece of apple. A trained health care professional, Marmorato was able to save her daughter — but recalled it was a 'very frightening experience.' Her grandfather, Michael Rendino, died three decades ago while choking on a piece of meat at a restaurant after the Heimlich maneuver failed. 'This is not just about my child,' she said. 'It's about all the children in New York City. Even if one device saves one kid's life, it's tremendous, and it's a win for parents and families.' She said she expects the legislation to be approved,considering it won't cost taxpayers a cent. Albany pols are reviewing similar legislation to require schools statewide to stock 'airway clearance devices.' City Hall spokesman Zachary Nosanchuk said the Department of Education and Mayor's Office will review the legislation, but added 'we continue to train [school] staff to use the Heimlich maneuver' because it remains the 'recommended first-aid technique to save children who are choking.'
New York Post
3 days ago
- Health
- New York Post
New bill would mandate 'anti-choking' devices in NYC schools
Every school in NYC would be required to have 'airway clearance devices' to help prevent choking deaths under a City Council bill gaining bipartisan steam. The legislation sponsored by Bronx Republican Kristy Marmorato would mandate that city schools stock the portable, suction-based devices on site. It already has support from 11 Democrats and four other Republicans, and was expected to be the subject of a public hearing this month. The devices, which can be self-administered and are considered an alternative to the Heimlich maneuver, usually run $50 to $70 each, but Long Island-based LifeVac has offered to supply each Big Apple school with a device and an instructional video on how they work at no charge, according to the company. 3 NYC Councilwoman Kristy Marmorato (R-Bronx) sponsored a bill that would mandate city schools stock 'airway clearance devices' to help prevent choking deaths. James Keivom Heidi Felix, LifeVac's vice president of sales, said the company has already donated more than 10,000 devices to schools nationwide and welcomes doing the same in NYC. There's more than 1,800 public schools and about 900 private schools in the Big Apple. The issue is personal for Marmorato. 3 LifeVac has already donated more than 10,000 devices to schools nationwide and welcomes doing the same in NYC. LifeVac She had a scary incident eight years ago when her then-18-month-old daughter choked on a piece of apple. A trained health care professional, Marmorato was able to save her daughter — but recalled it was a 'very frightening experience.' Her grandfather, Michael Rendino, died three decades ago while choking on a piece of meat at a restaurant after the Heimlich maneuver failed. 3 More than 1,800 public schools and about 900 private schools in the Big Apple would have the life-saving devices under the bill. Monkey Business – 'This is not just about my child,' she said. 'It's about all the children in New York City. Even if one device saves one kid's life, it's tremendous, and it's a win for parents and families.' She said she expects the legislation to be approved,considering it won't cost taxpayers a cent. Albany pols are reviewing similar legislation to require schools statewide to stock 'airway clearance devices.' City Hall spokesman Zachary Nosanchuk said the Department of Education and Mayor's Office will review the legislation, but added 'we continue to train [school] staff to use the Heimlich maneuver' because it remains the 'recommended first-aid technique to save children who are choking.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Tampa Police get 300 new lifesaving choking devices from New York-based company
The Brief A company based in New York donated choking rescue devices to the Tampa Police Department. The devices, which are called LifeVac, create a one-way suction to remove lodged food or objects from a choking victim. These devices will be distributed to officers soon. TAMPA, Fla. - A New York-based company donated 300 choking rescue devices to the Tampa Police Department. These devices, called LifeVac, create a one-way suction to remove lodged food or objects from a choking victim. "This is just another tool for us, especially for our youth, to be out there and provide another opportunity to save a life," Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said of the donation. The backstory Last month,a Tampa police officer used back blows to help save a toddler who was choking on a tomato. "That's the reason that we're getting this donation," Bercaw said Friday of the bodycam video. "[LifeVac inventor] Mr. Lih saw that video and said, 'I've got to get that product down here in a generous donation.'" "I knew as a parent, I'd be freaking out. I would be very distressed. So I tried to come up with something really simple. You push it, pull it, and that suction pulls it out," LifeVac President and Creator Arthur Lih said. These devices will be distributed to officers soon. Bercaw told FOX 13 the devices will be placed in patrol cars and will be used in schools and at Police Athletic League youth activities. Dig deeper As shown in LifeVac's online instructional video, the New York-based company said people should first follow choking protocols established by the American Red Cross. That means doing back blows and abdominal thrusts first. And if those actions don't work – or if those actions cannot be completed for whatever reason – then a LifeVac device can come into play. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) encourages people to follow established choking rescue protocols by the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association. In an April 2024 update, the FDA said these protocols do not include anti-choking devices: "The safety and effectiveness of anti-choking devices that are being sold over-the-counter have not been established; they are not FDA approved or cleared." Success Stories Just this week, a Georgia police officer used a LifeVac device to save a driver choking on a water bottle cap. Years ago, LifeVac devices were placed in every school in Sarasota County. The Source The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Ariel Plasencia.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Lyft driver taken hostage in lobby of Dawson County Sheriff's Office, officials say
The Dawson County Sheriff's Office said a hostage situation happened far closer to home than normal. In the early morning hours on Thursday, Dawson County Sheriff Jeff Johnson defused a hostage situation in the Law Enforcement Center's front lobby. According to the sheriff's office, David Christopher Morris, of Dawsonville, was holding a knife to a man said to be his Lyft driver. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Morris told the sheriff's office he'd been picked up in Hall County, and while on his way to an address in Dawson County, threatened the driver and had him drive him straight to the sheriff's office. When the driver and Morris got to the office, Morris held him at knifepoint and walked into the building, demanding to speak to Johnson. TRENDING STORIES: Atlanta rent prices down 1% compared to 2024, but rose month-to-month Acworth police save life of man choking on water bottle cap using LifeVac device Man accused of depositing check meant for GA county commissioners into personal account While waiting for Johnson to arrive, SWAT deputies established a secure perimeter, according to officials. After speaking for a while, Morris released the hostage and surrendered the weapon without further incident. The Lyft driver sustained minor injuries and was treated by Dawson County Fire and Emergency Services, the sheriff's office said. Morris was taken into custody and is in custody at the Dawson County Detention Center. 'We're grateful this situation ended without further harm to the victim, our deputies, or the suspect. It is an honor to work for a strong leader who leads calmly by example, even in the face of danger‚" Dawson County Sheriff's Public Information Officer Sgt. Matthew Blackstock said in a statement. Morris' charges were not made public yet. The sheriff's office said more details would be released when they are available. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Kemp joins Florida, South Carolina request to directly manage fish populations instead of feds
Gov. Brian Kemp joined a request from Florida and South Carolina governors Ron DeSantis and Henry McMaster to move management of fish populations to the state. Specifically, the three governors sent a letter to U.S. Commerce Sec. Howard Lutnick requesting that the states handle management of red snapper and other reef fish populations found in the Atlantic Ocean. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] "As we work with the administration to cut red tape and empower states to do what is best for our people, Governor Ron DeSantis, Governor Henry McMaster, and I are requesting state management of red snapper and other reef fishes in the Atlantic," Kemp said in a statement. 'Our fishing industry has suffered under heavy handed federal regulations imposed by bureaucrats thousands of miles away. It's time this industry is managed much closer to home!' TRENDING STORIES: Lyft driver taken hostage at Dawson County Sheriff's Office Atlanta rent prices down 1% compared to 2024, but rose month-to-month Acworth police save life of man choking on water bottle cap using LifeVac device In terms of what the states want to do, the governors said the current management of fish populations are 'driven by flawed data and regulations that threaten the economies of our coastal communities.' While the states are 'committed to helping our recreational fishing communities,' the governors said they are also working to conserve fisheries as resources for future generations. 'The first step to correcting course on federal mismanagement is to stop the harmful impacts of Amendment 59 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region,' the three officials said in their letter. The letter lays the blame on 'decades of inaction by career bureaucrats within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,' as well as actions taken at the end of the Biden Administration, which 'cut-off public access to the fishery' and have made it harder for communities to 'exercise their God-given right to fish and support their local economies and way of life.' Kemp and his fellow governors said the red snapper population is no longer being over-fished and as a result, they would like a large increase to the quota allowance for fishing the species, due to their current level of 'unprecedented abundance.' [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
