LifeVacs to be deployed across Hamilton County in partnership
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – A Chattanooga man who aims to honor the memory of his late brother partnered with Hamilton County today to announce the next step of his mission.
On August 28, 2022, Chattanooga resident Greg Creswell was eating at a local restaurant when he choked while eating, and passed away.
Just weeks after his funeral, his brother Rob Creswell sought to do something about the hazard of choking that took his brother’s life.
Today, his work with the non-profit Greg O2 was taken to the next level in a partnership with Hamilton County.
Hamilton County mayor Weston Wamp spekaing at the announcement of the partnership between Greg O2 and Hamilton County.
Greg O2 and Hamilton County have partnered to give away a thousand LifeVac devices across the county at various establishments.
Creswell said of the importance of the partnership, “Around 5,000 people a year in the United States die from choking accidents in the U-S alone. Choking is the 4th leading cause in the death for unintentional injury and the leading cause of death in ages one to three.”
Deputy Director of Hamilton County EMS Wade Batson added, “Every single airway obstructed choking call is a critical call.”
If someone’s airway is blocked for more than four minutes, brain damage can occur, and with the average EMS response time being 14 minutes, the LifeVac machine can be life or death.
The device’s creator, Arthur Lih III, was in attendance for the announcement, who recalled the somber experience that led him to create the device.
Lih said, “11 years ago I heard of a seven year old that choked. I was in the hospital and my buddy pointed to the gurney, and he said they tried everything but the little child died.”
The LifeVac devices that are being passed out across Hamilton County will come in Greg O2 boxes.
In order to use them you would take the LifeVac device out of the box and place it on someone’s mouth in order to suction the food out of their throats.
Lih demonstrated its use as he said, “You can see it stick in my hand. So, when you push it, air goes out the side. You hear that pop.”
Lih says these devices have saved over 1400 lives including just nine on Wednesday, with no recorded failures.
We covered Greg O2’s initial deployment of a device at the Dominion Senior Living Center in Hixson in February.
Creswell says the mission already has proved its worth.
Creswell said, “You were there the day that we put up our first box. 11 days later a gentleman in the senior living center where we placed that was choking and everybody panicked, and somebody grabbed the LifeVac, the first one that we put up, and saved the man’s life.”
The county says these first thousand devices will be placed around the county through the weekend, at first to emergency response vehicles.
The Chattanooga Fire and Police Departments said they had received hundreds of these devices to be placed in their response vehicles as part of this project.
The county says they plan to target restaurants to get these devices into them as well.
Creswell added he has received interest from other counties such as Bradley and Sevier Counties about partnering with Greg O2.
Greg O2 is a non-profit and is taking donations to help fund the purchase of more LifeVac devices.
A LifeVac can be purchased for private use at a price of $69.95.
