Employees Are Key Players in Improving Cardiac Arrest Survival Rates
Way back in 1974 the TV show “60 Minutes” declared Seattle “The Best Place to Have a Heart Attack.” That remains true even to this day. The Seattle & King County Emergency Services System, MEDIC ONE, consistently achieves survival rates for witnessed out of hospital sudden cardiac arrest higher than anywhere else in the world. In 2013 the rate was 57% compared to an overall national survival rate of approximately 10% across the U.S.
“One of the many reasons behind this success is that we’ve taken a collaborative and comprehensive approach to responding to cardiac emergencies,” says Jim Fogarty, Public Health’s Emergency Medical Services Division Director. The “Chain of Survival” displays a simplified picture of many of the links in our system, each of which must be coordinated with every other link. Note that the first three links involve YOU.
The first links support the entire response, and depend on you: the bystander, the family member, the co-worker. You must quickly recognize an emergency and call 911 to set MEDIC ONE in motion. Dispatchers send emergency responders on their way while they guide you, the rescuer, in providing care (including Cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR) to the patient. Starting chest compressions immediately (seconds count!) and using an automated external defibrillator (AED) quickly if one is available can mean the difference between a positive outcome and a negative outcome (brain damage or death) for many patients. Chest compressions keep oxygenated blood flowing to the brain. There is enough oxygen in the bloodstream for the 4 -6 minutes that it will take EMS to arrive at most locations in the Seattle & King County area, if you start chest compressions immediately to circulate that oxygen. If available, using an AED within the first 3 minutes greatly increases the chance for survival.
As public employees we should be prepared to take action in an emergency situation, but think about this: It is statistically more likely that you will use your CPR skills on a family member, friend, or other loved one – than on a stranger. We encourage you to be trained in CPR and AED use as a public employee, but by taking free CPR/AED classes offered by King County (a $50+ value in the community) you are also learning skills that can save your family and loved ones.
For more information take a class! Classes are listed in the monthly Training and Organizational Development newsletter e-mailed to King County employees or contact Anne Curtis at anne.curtis@kingcounty.gov.
Sign up for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)/Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Training:
Basic and Refresher CPR/AED Training
Public Health’s Emergency Medical Services Division offers free CPR/AED training to King County employees. All classes are American Heart Association Heartsaver classes. Take a three-hour Basic class or, if you’ve taken CPR training within the past two years, a two-hour Refresher class. Classes are held in the first floor conference rooms in the Chinook Building, 401 Fifth Avenue. Pre-registration is required. To register for a class send an email to Andrew Burns. Please note that these classes do not meet the requirements for Health Care Provider BLS CPR/AED training.
Basic CPR/AED Training
- Tuesday, August 5, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m., Chinook Conference Room 126
- Monday, September 29, 9 a.m. – noon, Chinook Conference Room 126
- Thursday, October 30, 9 a.m. – noon, Chinook Conference Room 126
Refresher CPR/AED Training (For those who have taken a CPR/AED training within the past 2 years.)
- Wednesday, May 21, 1 p.m. – 3 p.m., Chinook Conference Room 115
- Thursday, June 26, 1 p.m. – 3 p.m., Chinook Conference Room 115
- Tuesday, August 5, 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Chinook Conference Room 126
- Monday, September 29, 1 p.m. – 3 p.m., Chinook Conference Room 126
- Thursday, October 30, 1 p.m. – 3 p.m., Chinook Conference Room 126
If your worksite has at least 12 – 15 people who need training, we can come to you. Contact Anne Curtis to schedule CPR/AED training at your site. Public Health Center managers can schedule Health Care Provider BLS CPR/AED training for Public Health staff through Anne Curtis.
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Five Questions with Mark Isaacson, Director, Water and Land Resources Division
1. What was your first role with King County? I came to the county in the early 1990’s in the heady days after the Growth Management Act became state law. I worked in the director’s office of the Department of Public Works as a program analyst on plans to meet the state mandated concurrency requirements for public facilities. I came to that job as a city planner – and the attraction was taking the color maps of the county and working to build infrastructure considerations into the planning process.
2. What does Water and Land Resources Division do? The WLR Division staff protect and restore our natural resources and provide a safer place for King County residents. Our programs are varied –perhaps the most diverse business lines of any in county government. The division has excellent programs for flood protection, habitat restoration, stormwater control, water quality, monitoring and lab analysis, hazardous waste reduction, stewardship, noxious weed control, agriculture, forestry, and land acquisition.
3. What do you like most about your job as Division Director? The staff are dedicated, passionate, embrace challenges and solve problems. It is never dull because most people in this division are not afraid to innovate. Our engineers are pioneering bioengineering along our river systems to protect people and restore habitat. They are leaders in restoring wetlands and reconnecting floodplains. The local hazardous waste staff redesigned their program to reach more residents who had not heard about hazardous chemicals and are working to get in place a pharmaceutical take back program. Our environmental lab remains the top rated lab in the region. We transfer development rights from rural and agricultural lands to cities to preserve our land base. WLR pioneered a program that allows developers to spend mitigation dollars in areas where we need it most – improving our rivers, streams and sensitive habitat areas. Our stormwater team received a glowing audit from the EPA, which was not easy. Then they used Lean concepts to be more efficient when managing our 1,000+ stormwater facilities. The Division is a very impressive group of people.
4. What is the biggest challenge in your job? At an operational level, my job is to set a constructive pace and tone, provide a unifying direction, and position people to succeed. But at a policy or political level, the challenges are different. The WLR division handles many goals and aspirations that are important to the public. Sometimes those goals may collide and must be sorted out without too much disruption. It’s fun and sometimes I succeed, and frankly, sometimes I don’t. Either way, I love the job and am blessed to come to work every day with such impressive people doing such important work.
What is your main goal for 2014? Develop a budget that works. My main goal is to have a clear budget that recognizes some practical limitations, is responsive to community desires, and prioritizes the most important work. It is one important tool to hold me accountable for our performance.
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Community Activism and the International District – Thursday, May 15, noon – 1 p.m.
To celebrate Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month Program, King County is hosting a lunch and learn discussion for employees with Bob Santos called “Community Activism and the International District.”
Robert “Bob” Santos is the most publicly-recognized spokesperson and leader of the movement that began in the 1970s to preserve Seattle’s Chinatown/International District. He served as president of the Catholic Interracial Conference, HUD Regional Director, and was Executive Director of Inter*Im from 1972 to 1989, and 2002 to 2006.
Santos will describe the local civil rights movement related to the Asian American Community in Seattle and will talk about the International District – the history, current demographics, and culture. He will also address the previous threats of large public projects to the ID such as stadiums and freeways.
Thursday, May 15, noon – 1 p.m. Chinook Building, Room 123, 401 Fifth Ave, Seattle
Register here and then save it to your Outlook calendar. Bring your lunch and learn more.
The Equity and Social Justice Series seeks to raise awareness and understanding by creating a safe place where employees can come together to learn and ask questions about different people, cultures, perspectives and social issues.
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Sheriff’s Office Honors Young Victim of Gang Violence
King County Deputy Brian Barnes wanted to make sure that a young victim of gang violence was not forgotten – so he worked to post a permanent reminder outside the King County Sheriff’s Office West Hill storefront. 
KING 5 News recently featured the story of 12-year-old Alajawan Brown who was shot and killed four years ago in Skyway in a case of mistaken identity, and the work of Deputy Barnes in getting a sign dedicated in Alajawan’s honor. Watch the story. (Image courtesy KING5.com).
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Meet King County’s Small Business Advocates
Four years ago King County Executive Dow Constantine issued an Executive Order that aimed to reform the County’s procurement and contract business processes, and included a goal of providing greater opportunities for small, disadvantaged, and minority- and women-owned businesses to compete for and obtain County contracts.
As we get ready to celebrate National Small Business Week from May 12 – 16, we spoke to some of King County’s small business advocates in the Business Development and Contract Compliance group in the Department of Executive Services to see what the County is doing to make it easier for small firms to do business with King County while helping departments and agencies get the most out of the skills and expertise of local small businesses.
“If you’re a small business, the idea of doing business with government can seem daunting and complicated, and many are unsure of how to navigate through County processes,” said Sandy Hanks, Business Development and Contract Compliance, Manager, Department of Executive Services. “We’re the one-stop shop that is willing to take the hand of that small business owner, guide him or her through the process, with an eye on increasing our small business participation.”
The Executive Order has done a great job at spurring our use of not only small businesses, but also minority- and women-owned businesses. The 2012 program data shows that the County is making it easier for vendors and contractors to do business with King County and providing greater opportunities for small businesses to compete for and obtain contracts. For example:
- There was a 52% increase in the number of certified SCS firms from 1,115 in 2010 to 1,694 in 2012
- Certified SCS participation in construction contract awards increased from 13% in 2010 to 22% in 2012
- Certified SCS participation in consulting services contract awards rose from 9% in 2010 to 16% in 2012.
One reason for that success is the role that Sandy’s team plays in working with departments and agencies before contracts are advertised to ensure that small businesses have the opportunity to compete for County contracts.
“Any contract that County agencies let that are formally advertised on the County’s Procurement website for competition is reviewed by our office and we look at the scope for what are the subcontracting opportunities,” said John Trausch, a Contract Specialist III with DES. “We work with agencies to consult with them to break that project out into elements that afford greater subcontracting opportunities.”
To access contracting opportunities and to take advantage of incentives and requirements for their participation as a small business with the County, businesses must first apply for certification as a small contractor or supplier (SCS). Applications include information about the firm’s size and financial information about the business and its owners’, which is reviewed by the Business Development and Contract Compliance team to determine whether that business meets the eligibility criteria set by the County in each business category.
Once a business is approved for SCS certification it receives a letter of approval and is included in an online directory of certified firms, which is used by other participating government agencies, as well as prime contractors when they’re looking for SCS businesses to help them meet a specific required percentage of participation for their use on County contracts, or when they’re looking for small firms to help them with other non-government jobs. The certification is regional and applies to opportunities not only on King County contracts but also on Port of Seattle, Sound Transit and Seattle Colleges (formerly Seattle Community Colleges) contracts. Our goal is to expand the one-stop small business certification to other public agencies.
One of the best outcomes that certification offers small businesses is the access to contracting opportunities it provides, says Contract Specialist II Mary Rainey. “When we first launched the program, one of our engineering firms that applied for and was approved for certification early on said ‘Wow, Mary, it’s taken me years to make these connections! I do the same work that I did before but I couldn’t get the doors of any of the big primes open.’ So you still have to show that you can do the work, but it can open the door. And that firm quickly grew out of the business size threshold because of access to those opportunities that were there but weren’t accessible previously.”
The program also means a better result for departments and agencies.
“You get a better quality outcome when you have that consultation upfront with us,” Sandy said. “We’re trying to help departments incorporate the County’s Equity and Social Justice (ESJ) principles into their purchasing decisions and to anticipate that next step so that when they’re looking for that widget or service again, they will remember that the County has a certified pool of small contractors and suppliers that are available to them for use.”
The other outcome is more economic opportunities for people in our region.
“As much as it’s an equity and social justice effort, it’s also an economic development effort,” John said. “It’s about creating jobs for local residents and helping those businesses thrive in a tough economy.”
Nominations for the Executive’s Small Business Awards opened May 1 and run through June 30. If you know of a small business that you think should be recognized by the Executive, we’d like to hear from you. Nominations are open now – find out more.
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Featured Job: Wastewater Engineer – Journey (modeler)
Application deadline: Fri. 05/16/14 4:30 PM
Salary: $75,400.00 – $95,576.00 Annually
Department: Department of Natural Resources & Parks – Wastewater Treatment Division
Description: Perform computer modeling of King County’s wastewater service area and conveyance system in support of the Wastewater Treatment Division’s capital projects. Modeling will simulate both the hydrologic responses of the basins as well as the hydraulic behavior of conveyance facilities. Modeling work will be performed for a variety of WTD projects, such as developing Design Flow Technical Memoranda for Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) projects and for WTD’s Conveyance System Improvement projects.
Learn more about this position or view all available jobs.
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Kudos! Tino Brown, Metro Transit Operator
I would like to compliment driver Tino Brown. Tino operates his bus (Route 197) as if it is an extension of himself. As I see it he is comfortable driving and is alert to other drivers informing them that the bus is near them. He gets us to our destination as quick as safely possible. He also has a “good morning” for everyone as they enter and leave the bus; very refreshing. Please let Tino know that he is doing a great job – Kathleen
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Save the Date for upcoming Services Days
On May 12 (Chinook) and May 20 (King Street Center) KCIT and DES are teaming up once again to present Service Day.
Don’t miss this opportunity to talk with your internal service owners to better understand KCIT & DES internal services and rate structures. You can also get a copy of our 2015 Service Catalog and join the discussion on Mobility, the cloud, ESJ in IT, Energy Efficiency (SVE, Data Center), Bring your Own Device & Mobile Device Management, SharePoint, Unified Communications and more!
- May 12, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Chinook Building, (401 5th Avenue, Seattle) Rooms 121/123
- May 20, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. King Street Center (201 S. Jackson Street, Seattle) in the 8th Floor Conference Room.
Service Day is an opportunity for our valued customers to learn more about our services and our 2015 rates, in advance of finalizing your agency’s initial proposed 2015-2016 biennial budgets. Our Service Day will include a variety of ways to engage and learn more about services.
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Kudos! Callista Kennedy, Access & Outreach, Public Health – Seattle & King County
“I am a full time UW student and busy mother of 3 small children. After the switch from DSHS medical to Apple Health, my one year old was suddenly dropped from his insurance. I have been trying for a couple weeks to figure out how to get him back on insurance without messing up the rest of the family’s insurance and having to reapply for everyone. I called and visited multiple local and state resources only to be told there was a waitlist, I couldn’t be helped, and to be hung up on. I received the number for King County Public Health from my local WIC office and I have to admit, I was not very optimistic about the outcome of my call. I dialed the number and was greeted by Callista Kennedy. I explained my circumstances and within 30 minutes she had everything fixed. I cannot explain how much I appreciate the help she provided. I have spent hours talking to people who could care less about myself or my son’s insurance and that was not the feeling I got when talking to Callista. I hope all of your representatives will see this email and use her service as an example for everyone.”
Sincerely, Tosha E.
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Employees Share Learnings from Equity Conference
A group of employees who attended the Governing for Racial Equity (GRE) Conference in Portland, Ore., last month came back with new ideas and renewed energy for challenging racial inequity in our community.
“People brought all of their expertise and experience to the conference, and our job now is to bring that back to our work and to grow it,” said Jo Anne Fox, a Budget Analyst in the Office of Performance, Budget and Strategy, at a lunch and learn discussion for employees.
More than 550 people from around the United States attended the conference to learn more about what other governments are doing to achieve racial equity and eliminate institutional and structural racism.
Panelists Richard Gelb, Paula Harris-White, Matias Valenzuela, Ericka Turley, Jo Anne Fox discuss the GRE Conference.
The conference attendees shared their experiences and learnings at a lunch and learn discussion in the Chinook Building last week.
Gerty Colville, Project/Program Manager with Solid Waste Division, spoke about a session she attended on inventive ways to bring more at-risk youth, people of color and populations experience economic disparity into public service, and her concern for how we’re going to ensure our workforce is more representative of the diversity of our communities.
“I’m troubled by some of the barriers we have to bringing in folks who can do a lot of the work we do but don’t have the five year degrees, don’t have the Master’s (degree), and don’t have the same access; and I think that’s something we’re all struggling with,” Gerty said.
Paula Harris-White, Manager of Equity and Social Justice Programs in the Department of Executive Services, pointed to estimates that suggest a 46 percent turnover in County employees over the next five years due to retirements and general staff turnover, and what this means for our recruitment.
“This gives King County a great opportunity to look at the way it hires, promotes, retains, everything it does around employment, and think about how we are going to be more reflective of the communities we serve,” Paula said. “Often we try to hire people to replace the person who just left without realizing they started at another level and they worked up to that level. But we still want to hire someone with the experience of the person who just walked out the door as opposed to trying to make the most of the opportunity.”
You can review the conference materials here.
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