LifeFlight Partners with Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast for Spring Safety Courses
LifeFlight of Maine is committed to ensuring that everyone, in every community in the state, has access to critical care and medical transport. This includes logging professionals working in the remote Maine wilderness. Should an accident happen on the job, these men and women are often at least an hour away from the nearest hospital. While crews wait for EMS to arrive, they need to rely on each other to act quickly and decisively to provide first aid.
This spring, LifeFlight’s Director of Client Relations, Kyle Madigan, is traveling across Maine to meet with hundreds of members of the Professional Logging Contractors (PLC) of the Northeast during the organization’s annual safety trainings. During these trainings, Kyle is leading a course titled “Hemorrhage Control.”
“I’m teaching people how to recognize uncontrolled bleeding and how to respond. This includes everything from tourniquet application to wound packaging, to placing a chest seal,” shared Kyle. “I have some props that I bring, and I encourage the participants to take the opportunity to try putting a tourniquet on themselves or the person sitting next to them.”
Kyle Madigan teaches his course “Hemorrhage Control” to members of the PLC of the Northeast.
Photos Courtesy: Dana Doran
“Members of the PLC in Maine often work in remote, rugged areas where LifeFlight is the only real option for transport in the event of a life threatening health issue or accident, so they appreciate the skills and bravery of the men and woman of the service on a personal level,” said Executive Director of PLC of the Northeast, Dana Doran.
Kyle has been teaching a course at PLC’s safety training for the past few years. Previously, he gave participants an introduction to LifeFlight and taught a brief lesson on how to prepare a landing zone. Now, after teaching thousands of participants these skills, he’s focusing on the immediate actions crews can take should a medical emergency arise on a job site. The teaching could help save lives in the Maine woods.
“Because logging professionals work in such remote areas, it’s not uncommon for it to take an hour for EMS to reach them,” said Kyle. “And depending on the extent of their injury, without immediate action and intervention, they won’t last an hour.”
Kyle also teaches participants the importance of activating EMS early and knowing where first aid materials are kept on job sites. During the trainings, some participants shared their own experiences of tying a tourniquet on a friend or needing medical aid in the wilderness—highlighting the real-world application of the skills.
“What’s interesting about this class is that you sit with these people, and they start to tell you stories and they show you their scars,” shared Kyle. “These are the people doing the job. The boots on the ground.”
Kyle said the class has been well received, and he’s looking forward to connecting with more of PLC’s members this spring.
Dana says members of PLC appreciate LifeFlight’s efforts to support their annual safety trainings. “Having top notch instruction from experienced medical professionals is key to delivering training that improves safety and outcomes in the industry, and the PLC could not do that without partners like LifeFlight,” said Dana.
This spring, Kyle and other LifeFlight instructors are planning to teach the course in at least eight different Maine communities, ranging from Durham to Fort Kent. In addition to his “Hemorrhage Control” classes, Kyle will continue to teach Ground Safety and User Courses, including one in Skowhegan at the headquarters for Sappi.
Photos Courtesy: PLC
