First Responders Update 

  Over the past month, I’ve been asked some questions and made a few observations that I’m going to address in this month’s article. I think it’s important to make sure the community is all on the same page. • Yes, the Skidaway Island First Responders have actively been running calls since May 15. We suspended our services from March 15 until May 15 primarily because we didn’t want to risk any COVID-19 exposure to the community or our team. The paid personnel from Chatham Emergency Services never stopped responding to calls on the island, and the community was well taken care of over those two months we paused our services. •  DO NOT CALL 911 for a medical or fire emergency. Although all the pools have signs posted to call 911, PLEASE continue using the 912-355-6688 telephone number as we’ve implored you to do for decades. I strongly urge you to store that number in your phone, post it in your home, and have it available in case you can’t remember the number. By now, most of you should be cognizant to call 911 ONLY for a police emergency. PLEASE go to The Landings Association and pick up one of our yellow medical cards. I’ve written about these cards for four years! Get one for each family member, fill them out, and store them in the door inside your refrigerator. They are so helpful for our team when we show up for a medical emergency. It’s also a great idea to update them yearly or whenever you have prescriptions added or subtracted from your daily routine. Some people assume they don’t need to fill them out for their children. WRONG! Children have emergencies, too. If you or a family member have a Living Will or a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR), please make sure you have it somewhere accessible so that the Paramedic can put his/her hands on it in case of a cardiac arrest. If you or your family member do not want us to do CPR, we need those documents to honor that request. A “he said/she said” conversation between you and your family isn’t sufficient. It is a very difficult time to have to tear your house apart looking for these documents. Masks are USELESS if they’re not covering your nose and mouth. Wearing a mask as a chin guard defeats the purpose of the mask. I’m still perplexed by the countless people on this island who don’t comply with this mandate. There are signs all over Publix to please wear one, and countless people refuse to put one on or wear it correctly. (That includes some of their employees.) If you go out for a meal or to shop and see an employee wearing their mask incorrectly (as I do daily), reach out to the establishment’s managers. It’s vital we take care of one another and show our neighbors we care about their wellbeing. Do not call Landings Security for a medical or fire emergency. By doing so, you waste valuable time. When you call Security, they CALL US! Skip that step completely so that we can get to you as soon as possible. Time is of the essence in many medical emergencies. If you smell or see smoke, think something isn’t right based on flickering lights, or sense anything suspicious, call 912-355-6688. The Skidaway Island First Responders and Skidaway Fire volunteers are ready to help whenever you need us. Learn the addresses of the places you frequent. For example, if you have to call 912-355-6688 and you’re at The Deck, you can let them know it’s 910 Franklin Creek Road. If you’re dining at The Palmetto Club and you see someone in distress, you should know that the address is 1 Cottonwood Lane. By giving the address and name of the place/club/building, you’re speeding up the response. The dispatcher at Chatham Emergency Services (CES) uses an address to help with GPS for those coming to your aide. Simply saying, “I’m at Marshwood Club” isn’t always helpful for the dispatchers. They don’t live out here and only can go with what they know. Put those addresses in your phone. Publix, the churches, the clubs, places in The Village, etc., are all too familiar to us by just saying the name. On the contrary, for the off-island ambulance and some of the personnel who work part time out here, they are not as familiar. In closing, I thank all of you who continue to make donations to our organization. We always are so touched by the outpouring of love and support we get from this community. I hope all of you are staying well. It is a weird and stressful time for all of us. As stated in every article, we are here for you 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Please don’t hesitate to call 912-355-6688 whenever you have a medical emergency. We care about each and every one of you!