SEQUIM — The thrift shop with big heart continues to give life to the community with an annual donation to Clallam County Fire District 3.
At the Sequim-Dungeness Hospital Guild’s annual volunteer luncheon Dec. 12 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, board members presented more than $25,000 to the fire department for emergency medical services training for firefighters and the public.
The donation comes from the guild’s Thrift Shop at 204 W. Bell St., where an all-volunteer staff works to raise funds to support health agencies in the area.
“The goal for next year is to focus on training,” said Capt. Derrell Sharp, the medical safety officer for the district which serves residents of both the Sequim area and western Jefferson County.
Sharp said funds will go to three areas: training the public in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), updating training for staff with simulations, and implementing new training measures for mass casualties.
He said the American Heart Association says “good quality CPR is the one thing that provides every patient some level of serviceability from cardiac arrest.”
He added, “Our goal is to train the community to be able to one day help a friend, neighbor, [etc.] by being equipped to begin chest compressions until EMS arrives.”
Part of the donated funds supports updating CPR mannequins to make sure trainees are doing it correctly.
Another element includes new simulations that allow instructors to manipulate real-world scenarios in-house, Sharp said.
Fire department leaders also will use funds to purchase a mannequin from Australia that allows paramedics/EMTs to practice a cricothyrotomy for gunshot and knife wound scenarios.
“It’s something we train on but have little resources for practicing it,” Sharp said.
“It’s one of those incidents that’s high-risk and low-frequency, so we need to spend good, quality time practicing it.”
Clallam County Fire District 3 offers public CPR training at 6 p.m. the first Thursday of each month, which provides a two-year CPR certification card after the three-hour class.
For more information, call 360-683-4242.
Volunteers honored
As tradition, more than 80 guild volunteers were honored at their annual December luncheon.
Guild president Nancy McGovern said the group has seen huge support throughout the year, with nearly $125,000 sold through November. Organizers anticipate this December being their biggest ever.
Each December, the guild gives to the fire district and in May to Olympic Medical Center, Dungeness Valley Health and Wellness Clinic and other community health agencies at its spring luncheon/fashion show.
Last year’s spring luncheon event gave more than $27,000 to four agencies.
McGovern honored and thanked several volunteers including Randi Cooper, the guild’s thrift shop chairman of donations, for her service the last 15 years.
The Olympic Peninsula Men’s Chorus also performed Christmas songs and carols.
The thrift store, 204 W. Bell St., is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. the first and third Saturday of each month. For more information, call 360-683-7044.
