Practical Advice from Members
Public Employee asked a few AFSCME members for insider tips of their trade.
A fireman, paramedic, pharmacist and others share ideas for safe and healthy living and tell us how to avoid problems.
LEARN CPR TO SAVE LIVES
No one should fear the consequences of giving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), says Tyler Hemingway, a New York City paramedic for 10 years. Most states have Good Samaritan laws that prevent citizens from being sued for trying to save a life, he says.
For those fearful of the risks of mouth-to-mouth contact with a stranger, Hemingway notes that “first-aid kits with latex gloves and portable masks to prevent the transmission of body fluids” are available in many stores.
In emergencies, immediate intervention is critical for survival. “The brain can go without oxygen for only four to six minutes without brain damage,” Hemingway says.
The American Red Cross, local hospitals and the American Heart Association offer CPR classes for a small fee (about $25). Hemingway is a member of Local 2507 (Council 37).
KNOW YOUR DRUGS
People should know what drugs they are taking, says pharmacist Denham Davis.
He is amazed that so many people can’t remember what pills doctors have prescribed for them or how many they should take. “All health care is about your cooperation and participation. You can’t abrogate care of your body to someone else,” he stresses.
Davis notes that people are often too busy to avail themselves of services pharmacists like to provide. “If you get a prescription,” he says, “it’s important to tell the pharmacist what you think the drug is for. It helps him talk to you about the medicine you take and it helps you get the most from us.”
The pharmacist “should tell you about the medication’s side effects and interactions,” he notes, because some drug interactions can be fatal. For example, the combination of Propulsid, used for heartburn and gastrointestinal problems, with the common antibiotic Erythromycin “leads to an increase in Propulsid’s concentration in the body, which can trigger fatal heart rhythm changes,” Davis says.
To avoid long lines, the best time to get prescriptions filled is when most people are at work, he says. “Sometimes later in the evening is good, too, after dinnertime when everyone has already picked up what they wanted on their way home.”
FIRE! FIRE!
Most states have a 911 system that automatically records the location of anyone making an emergency call. But it’s still a good idea, so the fire department can double-check your address, to calmly “tell them your address, the cause of fire, if you know it, and its location,” says Lt. Bruce Smith, a firefighter in Athens, Ohio, who is a member of Local 3351 (Council 8). “Tell them if everyone has escaped. Stay on the telephone line — if you’re not in harm’s way — to give further information,” Smith advises.
“If the fire is not too big, you can try to extinguish it yourself. If it’s over one foot high, though, don’t attempt to put it out. I’ve seen people fling a burning skillet and run for the door, spreading fire throughout the kitchen.” Kitchen stoves should be grease-free, but if a fire should erupt there, flour or baking soda are usually effective in snuffing it out, he continues.
To flee uninjured and quickly, “Practice your escape plan with fire drills in the home twice a year as the schools do,” Smith says.
Every home should have smoke detectors “on every level and inside and outside every bedroom. Test your detectors weekly,” Smith says. “And be sure there are two ways out of every room in the house.”
Every year people nationwide die from improper use of kerosene heaters. “Always have adequate ventilation for them. You need to open a door or a window every one-half hour because they burn a lot of oxygen. Leave it open 10 minutes or so. It seems stupid to open a door but you have to have fresh air,” he says. At night, homeowners should “turn off the heater when you go to bed or you may have trouble breathing.”
Smith’s advice for parents: “Keep matches out of children’s reach. Leave a responsible person with the children when you go out. And finally, babysitters should be instructed on what to do in case of a fire.”
Davis is a member of AFSCME Local 782 (Council 28) in Washington state.
BRUSH AWAY BAD BREATH
The number one action you can take to rid yourself of bad breath is to brush your tongue, says dentist Gregory Shook. He works at the Oregon State Penitentiary Dental Clinic.
“Brush your tongue with a toothbrush vigorously for 10 seconds every morning, especially if you are a coffee drinker or smoker. Reach as far back as you can without gagging,” Shook says.
Shook is a member of Local 3327 (Council 75).
#1 LIFESAVER
Wearing car seat belts saves more lives and prevents more injuries than any other single action an individual can take, Nebraska traffic safety specialist Bob Corner says. “Before engaging your key, put on your safety belt,” he says. “Wear it even if you’re just two blocks from home.”
He describes a scenario which happens all too often nationwide. “Your car is going 50 miles an hour and hits a tree. It stops but if you’re not wearing a safety belt you keep going — right into the windshield or steering wheel. You’ll be stopped permanently. You’ll be dead.”
Corner says groups enjoying a night on the town should designate a driver who won’t drink alcohol. “Most places in Nebraska give free soda or iced tea — anything non-alcoholic — to designated drivers.”
Corner acknowledges that the generosity of bars and restaurants in handing out free sodas saves lives, “but they’re not doing it solely out of the goodness of their hearts. They want repeat business, no lawsuits or bad publicity.”
Corner works in the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles. He is a member of Nebraska Association of Public Employees/AFSCME Local 61.
COURT’S IN SESSION
Testifying in court can be “a spooky situation,” says judicial assistant Paula Martinez of the state district court in Des Moines, Iowa. “Everyone’s scared when they make their first appearance.”
Clothed in a black robe, the judge sits in an impressive chair almost lording over his subjects in the courtroom. “The judge is the almighty one. Say, ‘Yes, your honor,’ ‘No, your honor.’ Speak clearly in a normal voice to him or her,” Martinez says. “If you don’t understand something, ask the judge what was said.”
On the day of a court appearance, she says, “Wear your Sunday go-to-meeting or church clothes. Don’t overdo your hair. You shouldn’t come in looking as if you’re going to a New Year’s party.”
Keep all court dates. If you must change a day, get in touch with the clerk of the court to ask for a continuance of the judicial proceedings to a future date. If you don’t and then fail to appear when you are scheduled, “The judge may issue a statewide or nationwide warrant for your arrest,” Martinez warns. She is a member of Local 3013 (Council 61).
BUYING A CAR
Before buying a second-hand car from a dealer, hire a title search company to check for odometer discrepancies and salvage fraud, advises Mildred Womble, customer service representative for the Motor Vehicle Administration in Glen Burnie, Md.
Sometimes car dealers buy cars with high mileage readings on the odometers and lower the numbers to sell the cars for more money, she explains. Often, too, dealers buy totaled cars, reassemble them and sell them to unsuspecting customers. The title search company “almost instantaneously for less than $20” will check into whether odometer or salvage fraud occurred, Womble says.
She also advises used-car buyers to have a mechanic check the car before signing a contract. “Some dealers try to patch the car’s oil leaks for a period and by then your warranty has expired.
“We uncover alterations through records and interviews with previous owners. We achieve settlements in the customers’ favor,” Womble says.
Womble is president of Local 2203 (Council 92).
A SHOT IN TIME
Immunizations are not just for kids. Adults need them too, says Bev Kim, a public health nurse in Hawaii. Children’s shots include those for DTP (diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis — whooping cough), polio, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis and tuberculosis.
Adults, Kim says, need tetanus boosters every 10 years. The elderly and high-risk individuals (those with asthma or a chronic disease, for example) should get a flu shot each year prior to the flu season and the pneumonia vaccine every five years.
Kim is a member of Hawaii Government Employees Association/AFSCME Local 152 in Oahu, Hawaii.
KIDS WHO BAG IT
Kids who take their lunch to school are not necessarily eating it, says Suanne Miyata, cafeteria manager at a school in Hawaii.
“Some kids socialize during lunch and don’t eat,” she notes. “Every day when kids return home from school, parents should ask them what they ate.”
Miyata advises parents against packing certain pre-packaged foods for their kid’s lunch. Foods such as Lunchables and Ramen noodles are “nutritionally not the best” and have high sodium content, Miyata says.
When children return home from school, she suggests fresh fruit as an ideal snack, along with celery, carrot sticks and nuts. Other perfect offerings are “foods they can eat quickly and that can be prepared ahead of time. Crackers with peanut butter are good.” Not so healthy, she thinks, are sodas and chips.
Miyata is a member of Hawaii Government Employees Association/ AFSCME Local 152.
