Imagine you are playing a round of golf when an emergency strikes. One of your golfing partners is down. Is it cardiac arrest, hyperthermia, or a reaction to an insect bite?
Every second counts. Jump into action! Tap your stricken partner hard on the shoulder and yell loudly! If they don’t move, speak, blink, or otherwise react, or if not breathing or are only gasping for air, call 911. Give the dispatcher the golf course’s name, the hole number, and whether you are on the tee box, fairway, or green. Within seconds of your call, Estero Fire Rescue, with arrival times under seven minutes, help is on the way.
Immediately begin chest compressions (push hard, push deep, push fast, at a rate of 100-120 per minute) and call your Pro shop or clubhouse. Club personnel will dispatch a “ranger” with an automatic external defibrillator (AED). While waiting, keep the chest compressions going. Because chest compressions are tiring, have someone else jump in. Take turns.
Brian D. Hurwitz, Ph.D
Health Committee Chair
How does EMS locate you? This question was posed to Jennifer Krohnfeldt, Estero Fire Rescue Community Education Specialist. She explained that her husband, Fire Lieutenant Jerry Krohnfeldt, has walked every golf course in Estero to verify access points for all 18 holes.
Estero Fire Rescue has a Geographic Information System (GIS) map created by Lee County that details 8,000 mapped access points at all 108 Lee County golf courses. Fire departments conducted walkthroughs and drive-throughs of each course to verify that the designated access points are accessible. Fire and EMS crews performed mock drills to test response times using the mapped coordinates.
The coordinates were uploaded into the Lee County 911 dispatch system. When you call 911 dispatchers, they can cross-reference your GPS location with the pre-mapped emergency coordinates displayed on a screen in front of them and will guide first responders to you with pinpoint accuracy.
For example, suppose you are on the number four fairway at Grandezza. In that case, the dispatcher’s view shows the corresponding home addresses along Markward Crossing, with access points to the hole number four fairway and to your mobile phone’s GPS location.
Every home address along that street has been checked to ensure there are no obstacles through the backyards closest to you and the stricken golfer.
Similarly, according to Lee County’s GIS maps, at the Eagle Ridge Golf Course, the number 10 fairway corresponds to 7627 Eaglet Ct, with notes indicating “on the golf course behind the address” to facilitate a swift response from EMS. If the AED dispatched by the Pro-Shop or club gets to you before Estero Fire Rescue, do not be afraid to use it.
An AED, or automated external defibrillator, can restore the heart’s normal rhythm during sudden cardiac arrest. It will walk you through the necessary steps to deliver the lifesaving shock to restore your friend’s heart to a normal rhythm. Although such an emergency on the golf course is unlikely, being prepared can make all the difference.
Disclaimer
Engage Estero provides information as a service to our readers and is not intending to provide individual medical advice. Always consult with medical professionals or emergency services.
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