Working in base housing on the nightshift I was dispatched out of the fire station. I carried a Fire station radio, and recieved all the calls they did, and I had to respond when they did in the event they needede me to turn off power, water, or some other system. Many times they would recieve an emergency call for someone not breathing, and I would all ready be in the immediate area. I would arrive within a few minutes or less. Two to three minutes ahead of the EMTs. I was kept abreast of the latest things to do and immediately went into what ever action was needed.
Babies with tiny items in their throats was a big one for me. I usually had the item out before the EMTs got there.
Sky has performed the Heimlich manover on me once, then once I was choking and was alone. I remember being told by an instructor about the self iniation of the Heimlich manuver. I went to a chair and threw myself across the back real hard, forcing my midsection to compress. The piece of hard candy came loose, and I spit it out.
One thing important is to get family members out of the way, they usually are not reliable to help, especially with a baby. While you use less force with an infant, family members are too afraid of hurting the child to get the job done.
I have to relate one story: One night the EMTs had tried the Heimlich manuver repeatedly on a morbidly obesse lady. They were to the point of giving up. The chief finally had them drag her to the stairs and aim her head downward. We slid her to where her entire body was on the stairs, with her hips being held in place by several guys holding her legs. The chief then had me turn around and fall sitting down on her back. It worked, she survived. She had sore ribs for a few days, but she thanked me later.
