LifeVac devices, approved by the FDA, are designed as an alternative to the Heimlich maneuver to help choking victims dislodge food or foreign objects
Tom Russo | Daily Reporter
HANCOCK COUNTY – With the passing of his sister, Holly, Justin Zirkle said he wanted to continue her legacy of caring for others by getting life-saving devices provided in buildings across the county – and eventually the state.
Zirkle, ADA Probation Officer and Court Substance Abuse Management Specialist for the probation department, and Misty Moore, director for Hancock County Homeland Security, approached Hancock County Commissioners with the proposal to have a LifeVac device in every public government agency, readily available in case it is needed. The commissioners approved the requested fund amount of $5,000 to help purchase the 100 devices.
A LifeVac device is suction device that is placed over the nose and mouth and aids in the removal of food or a foreign object that is lodged in the throat, an alternative way to save a life if the Heimlich maneuver doesn’t work in certain situations, such as if a person is elderly, an infant, pregnant, overweight or home alone.
Moore said that the LifeVac device is a newer type of device that many households are starting to get because it makes rescuing someone from choking much easier than the Heimlich maneuver.
“It alleviates a lot of the panic and uncertainty that the Heimlich maneuver comes with,” Moore said. “The device would just automatically release whatever it is that they are choking on.”
Zirkle said by being able to provide these life-saving devices, it can prevent unnecessary tragedies, much like the situation that took his sister’s life too soon.
Zirkle said Holly was a fantastic lady, who loved life itself and loved children, eventually becoming an ABA therapist and working with autistic children. After a morning meeting one day, Holly began to choke on her breakfast, and after failed attempts of the Heimlich maneuver, she had gone without oxygen to her brain for 15 minutes, causing brain damage.
Holly was emergency-rushed to the hospital after paramedics were able to get a heartbeat, but Zirkle and his family were faced with the difficultly of saying goodbye to their loved one on Jan. 8, 2023. Holly was an organ donor and able to help 40 different individuals with more than 48 different donations.
“It was an unfortunate accident,” Zirkle said. “We miss her, and this is our way of kind of honoring her and her memory, and hopefully helping others along the way.”
The LifeVac devices are FDA approved and come with step-by-step instructions on use. Moore and Zirkle are working together on a training regimen, which will consist of a video-based seminar and then a practical training regimen that all county employees will eventually participate in so they feel comfortable utilizing the apparatus. Zirkle said to implement a proper training regimen, they are going to need to order additional mannequins that are choking-based.
Of the 100 devices, Moore said that 35 will be placed in departments and 60 in county vehicles.
“Overall, it just, it makes us feel even better, that we’re prepared for any kind of emergency where someone and not just employees, but also customers that come in,” Moore said. “That overall peace of mind that we’re covering all of our bases with, you know, with respect to the different emergencies that might happen at any given time.”
Zirkle said that he has been working on getting these devices also inside the schools and towns such as Cumberland and New Palestine.
Zirkle also been contact with State Senator Michael Crider, (R-Greenfield), with hopes that if good policy can be established, legislation can be written and implemented at the state level that would provide LifeVac devices across the state and being the first state to do so.
Zirkle said that he wants to make sure that no one has to deal with a such as the one he and his family has, something that is easily preventable. Zirkle said he is thankful for the support of Moore, the commissioners and many other who have helped so far in the process so far and as he continues to push the accessibility of these devices at the state level.
“That’s my goal. And that’s my commitment to my sister,” Zirkle said. “I’m on a mission, so I’m more determined than anything … I think before I never would have done something like this and I think my sister would have … I’m kind of proud of myself because I know Holly would have some kind of doing — something that I normally wouldn’t do. And I think she’d be proud of that.”
