GLOUCESTER — Seth Craig, a paramedic in Gloucester, knows firsthand how important it is to be educated on lifesaving measures of all kinds. While living in West Texas working as a forensic scientist, Craig himself had a medical emergency. After being bit by a scorpion, Craig went into anaphylactic shock and had no idea what was going on.
Originally creating a wilderness first aid class so his son could earn a Boy Scout badge, Craig has since expanded operations, creating S.A.F.E. Solutions 24.
“I pretty much do it all, from the first aid to CPR, to wilderness first aid, and now the outdoor critical care course,” Craig said.
The new outdoor critical care course touches on subjects dealing with life-threatening emergencies, like being hit by an arrow, falling out of a tree stand, or cutting yourself with a chainsaw.
“I wanted something that was really geared toward the outdoor enthusiasts — that is the bottom line. It’s kind of like stop-the-bleed meets wilderness first aid meets critical care. It’s really meant to teach people how to maintain somebody until help can get there,” Craig said.
According to Craig, the critical care course takes three hours but deals with serious content.
“All fluff aside, we’re not talking about splinting and bandaids here. We’re talking about people bleeding out that could be facing death if action is not taken,” Craig said.
Craig has a love for teaching and is the current administrator for the EMS program at Rappahannock Community College.
“Being a first responder, I just know the importance of what a bystander can do makes a world of difference before we get there. We really want to prepare people and have people be able to respond before EMS gets there because there might be a little bit of a delay in response time depending on where you are. Those few minutes of someone being about to do CPR or stopping the bleed could be life or death for the patient,” Craig said.
In addition to the critical care course, S.A.F.E. Solutions 24 offers a babysitter readiness course, a pet CPR and first aid course, a wilderness first aid course, a parent CPR course, and a basic life support course.
For any nonprofit that holds a CPR or first aid course with at least eight people, S.A.F.E. Solutions will provide a free, two-hour first aid station at an event within six months of the class, a free basic safety assessment of one area of the facility, and a free review of first aid supplies within the facility.
“I didn’t want this business to be a death by PowerPoint, here’s your CPR card, see you in two years for recertification kind of thing. I truly want these people to understand the difference they make in the lives of a patient. I want to make training accessible, applicable, and fun to everyone that wants it,” Craig said.
Craig also offers business owners and nonprofits an opportunity to create a custom course.
Courses are held in Gloucester, Williamsburg, James City County, and York County, and are mostly held on the weekends. Upcoming courses include an AED/CPR course in Gloucester on Sept. 28, an outdoor critical care course in Gloucester on Sept. 29, a basic life support course in Gloucester on Oct. 6, a babysitter/CPR course in Williamsburg on Oct. 11, a basic life support course in Williamsburg on Oct. 17, and a parent CPR course in Williamsburg on Oct. 25.
To learn more or to sign up for a course, visit safe-solutions-24.com.