Donna Van was impressed by the size and weight of the Quad City Bomb Squad protective gear – also called a bomb suit – on display Saturday afternoon, Aug. 17.
She tried on some of the 80 pounds of gear and said she was especially impressed with the people who could wear the bomb suit for a living.
“It takes a special person to do this job. I don’t think everybody can do this. … This is really heavy,” said Ms. Van.
The East Moline woman was one of many people to tour the bomb squad display and other features at the second annual Be Ready QC Emergency Resource Fair held at the Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center in downtown Bettendorf.
The resource fair featured workshops, hands-on training and other activities to help prepare people for emergencies. Event participants included local first responders, emergency management agencies, businesses in the emergency care fields and others at about 25 stations inside and outside the convention center. Some of the agencies and businesses represented at the event included Blaze Restoration, Werner Restoration, Scott County Emergency Communications Center, SERVPRO, Impact Life, Safe Families for Children, Iowa Harm Reduction Center and many others.
“We’re hoping to get people more prepared for emergencies,” said Brian Payne, director of the Scott County Emergency Management Agency, and an organizer of Saturday’s resource fair. “We want to give them the resources to get them back on their feet … and ways for them to recover from every event.”
One of the stations at the resource fair was teaching people a way to recover from a health emergency. That station was telling people about the benefits of the American Heart Association’s hands-only CPR method (Go here to find out more about that method.)
“You have a really good chance to save a life with this,” said Al Loeffelholz of the Genesis Health System, who was one of the health officials at the CPR station. “Anybody can do this.”
Mr. Loeffelholz also told visitors at his station that delaying treatment to a heart attack victim can have a dramatic impact on the victim’s chances of survival. He said that for every minute that goes by without CPR treatment, the chances of survival decreases by 10%. That means waiting seven minutes for paramedics to arrive at the scene will mean a victim only has a 30% chance of survival, he added.
Another station at Saturday’s event focused on calling for help. That station informed visitors about the Scott County Emergency Communications Center. Michelle Campbell, a 19-year veteran of the communications center, said she wanted to tell people the 911 system is in place to help them. Also, she wants people to know when they call 911, they should not worry the communications center employee is asking many questions about the emergency situation.
“We want to assure people that when we ask questions, it’s not delaying the arrival (of first responders.) Help is on the way while we ask questions,” she added.
In addition to emergency service agencies, Saturday’s event also featured businesses that specialize in helping people after a disaster. One of those companies is Blaze Restoration, Inc., of Moline.
“We want to tell people about our service. We’re a restoration company,” said Josie Comeaux, business development director for Blaze Restoration, during the Saturday event.
Another station getting many visitors on Saturday was the Legacy Therapy Dogs nonprofit organization in Moline.
“Our mission is to passionately serve the Quad Cities through the utilization of well-trained therapy dogs. By demonstrating the power of unconditional love and empathy, we strive to inspire hope, foster a sense of belonging, improve emotional and physical well-being and bring joy to all of those we meet. … The safety and familiarity of therapy dogs has been found to help build rapport with and provide comfort to a person affected by a crisis,” according to the group’s Facebook page.
The four dogs at the Legacy Therapy Dogs station were the stars of the show for much of the day as many people stopped by to visit and pet the animals.
While the dogs were a popular part of Saturday’s events, most people at the fair said they showed up to get tips to prepare for disasters and see the people who will help them in tough times.
“We’re here to show some of our capabilities and to show people how we can help them,” said Ryan Strom of the Scott County Sheriff’s Department and a member of the Quad City Bomb Squad.
