all chitrib articles about salf, 1993-2009

8/14/2019 All ChiTrib articles about SALF, 1993-2009

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Mission to remember Christina Save-A-Life founder keeps daughter's memoryalive; [LAKE SPORTS FINAL Edition]

Debra A. Schwartz. . Chicago Tribune (pre-1997 Fulltext) . Chicago, Ill.: Mar 8,1993. pg. 2

Author(s): Debra A. Schwartz.Column Name: Lake watch. People.

Section: LAKE

Publication title: Chicago Tribune (pre-1997 Fulltext). Chicago, Ill.: Mar 8,1993. pg. 2

Source type: Newspaper

ISSN/ISBN: 10856706

ProQuest document ID: 24375960

Text Word Count 739

Document URL: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=24375960&Fmt=3&clientId=11420&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Abstract (Document Summary)

For most of her adult life, Carol Spizzirri was a far cry from a community organizer.

Last Labor Day, Christina was fatally injured when she lost control of her car and crashednear Waukegan. Moments later, the first police officers arrived at the scene and were toldby a Good Samaritan that the girl still had a pulse and her vital signs were stable. But the

officers balked at administering CPR because their certifications had expired. By the timeparamedics arrived and began treating her, it was too late.

Spizzirri was on vacation in Florida with her other two daughters when she was notifiedof the accident. When she returned, she learned of the police officers' failure to act.Whether CPR would have saved her daughter, no one knows, Spizzirri acknowledges, butshe would have liked her daughter to have had the chance.

Full Text (739 words)

Copyright Chicago Tribune Co. Mar 8, 1993

For most of her adult life, Carol Spizzirri was a far cry from a community organizer.

She was too busy taking care of her children, running them here, there, wherever. Andwhen she wasn't focusing on them, she took care of the bills at Woodland School District50 in Gages Lake, where she is in charge of accounts payable and receivable.

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changed.

After grieving for two months, the 45-year-old mother founded Save-A-Life FoundationInc. to push for legislation requiring all public servants to be trained in first aid and CPR.Her mission is to prevent what happened to her daughter from happening to anyone else.

Last Labor Day, Christina was fatally injured when she lost control of her car and crashednear Waukegan. Moments later, the first police officers arrived at the scene and were toldby a Good Samaritan that the girl still had a pulse and her vital signs were stable. But theofficers balked at administering CPR because their certifications had expired. By the timeparamedics arrived and began treating her, it was too late.

Spizzirri was on vacation in Florida with her other two daughters when she was notifiedof the accident. When she returned, she learned of the police officers' failure to act.Whether CPR would have saved her daughter, no one knows, Spizzirri acknowledges, butshe would have liked her daughter to have had the chance.

Angered and depressed by the loss of her daughter, Spizzirri established Save-A-Life.

To promote her cause, she contacted corporate presidents, leaders in the United AutoWorkers, police and fire chiefs and television stars to get their support for legislation tomake her idea law.

She hopes her legislative campaign will lead to the passage of a state law requiringanyone who works with the public, including fast-food employees, teachers, bus driversand fire and police officials, to have CPR and first-aid training. Annual recertificationalso is part of legislation that may be introduced in Springfield this month.

"After her daughter died, she was kind of running around in circles and didn't know whatto do. She has more purpose in life now," said Woody Williams, building andmaintenance director of District 50.

"It's my mission," Spizzirri said in a soft, almost religious tone. "It's like God opened thedoors, and everybody I have contacted has received me well. I think it's because for somany years, people have been so self-centered, and they are just at a point now wherethey want to go back to the basics of caring for one another, and they just need a rolemodel."

It's the reason the time is ripe for passing the law, she said.

State Rep. Chuck Hartke (D-Effingham), who is co-sponsoring the bill with state Rep.Andrea Moore (R-Libertyville), said the legislation is past due.

"If we're calling individuals for help, and they arrive, then say `Well, I'm sorry, I don't' ' ` ' -


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saving techniques should be administered" at car accident scenes, Hartke said.

In the months Spizzirri has spent organizing Save-A-Life, she has received endorsementsfrom the National Safety Council, American Medical Association, American Red Cross,several insurance companies and such large corporations as Commonwealth Edison and

Abbott Laboratories.

After she learned that former teen heartthrob Bobby Sherman had organized volunteerparamedics in Los Angeles, she contacted him to secure his backing. At 48, the LosAngeles-based actor and singer best known as the puerile performer who reached instantstardom after appearing on the "Shindig" and "Here Come the Brides" television series, isnegotiating with Los Angeles police to place "Chris Kits" in every one of Los Angeles'6,000 police cars.

The kits, named after Spizzirri's daughter, are specially equipped with plastic gloves,shoe coverings and resuscitation masks to allow first responders to treat wounds without

fear of catching HIV, hepatitis B or other communicable diseases.

Spizzirri also is investigating whether a percentage of dollars from vehicle stickers couldhelp pay for producing Chris Kits and related training.

"I absolutely never organized anything all by myself before," she said, marveling at hersuccess. "There was no reason for me to, but Christina's death was a negative that I had toturn into a positive. This is what she would have wanted me to do."

CAPTION:

PHOTO: Carol Spizzirri.


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SURF'S UP FOR CPR CRUSADE AS `BAYWATCH' STAR SIGNS ON; [LAKESPORTS FINAL Edition 1]

Christi Parsons, Tribune Staff Writer. . Chicago Tribune (pre-1997 Fulltext) . Chicago,Ill.: Dec 30, 1993. pg. 2

Author(s): Christi Parsons, Tribune Staff Writer.Column Name: Lake watch. Politics.

Section: LAKE

Publication title: Chicago Tribune (pre-1997 Fulltext). Chicago, Ill.: Dec 30,1993. pg. 2


ISSN/ISBN: 10856706


Text Word Count 489

Document URL: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=24208213&Fmt=3&clientId=11420&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Abstract (Document Summary)

Grayslake activist Carol Spizzirri could be a chapter in a textbook on how to crusade fora cause.

In her ongoing crusade to teach cardiopulmonary resuscitation and other lifesavingtechniques to residents all over Illinois, Spizzirri has convinced state leaders including

Gov. Jim Edgar and state Senate President James "Pate" Philip to get on board.

Spizzirri managed to snag Hasselhoff by simply calling the producer of his show andexplaining her cause.


Copyright Chicago Tribune Co. Dec 30, 1993

Grayslake activist Carol Spizzirri could be a chapter in a textbook on how to crusade fora cause.

In her ongoing crusade to teach cardiopulmonary resuscitation and other lifesavingtechniques to residents all over Illinois, Spizzirri has convinced state leaders includingGov. Jim Edgar and state Senate President James "Pate" Philip to get on board.

Now she has now picked up another high-profile supporter.

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the blood alcohol content level required for a driver to be cited for driving under theinfluence. Ten other states already have lowered the level from .10 to .08.

[Illustration] PHOTO; Caption: PHOTO: David Hasselhoff will record a public service announcementfor the ``Save a Life'' cause.


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MOTHER ON A MISSION - FIRST AID MIGHT HAVE SAVED HER DAUGHTER;NOW, CAROL SPIZZIRRI IS A RELENTLESS CRUSADER

Chicago TribuneJanuary 16, 1995

Author: Julie Deardorff.Estimated printed pages: 7

"The Lord said, `My precious child, I never left you during your time of trial. Where yousee only one set of footprints, I was carrying you.'" - "Footprints in the Sand"

It's after a fresh snowfall when the footprints first materialize, solitary steps that mark theway to Christina Spizzirri's grave.

Usually the impressions in the earth are about nine inches long. Evenly spaced. Andformed by the quick, purposeful stride of Christina's mother, Carol.

"This is my girl," Carol Spizzirri whispered one afternoon, after shoveling off the black marble gravemarker and brushing snow away from the last verse to Christina's favoritepoem, "Footprints in the Sand."

Oblivious to the wet snow seeping through her black dress shoes and nylons, Spizzirrigazed around the cemetery she passes each time she leaves her Grayslake home.

"I can still feel her hand. And I see her everywhere. Her hair at the grocery store. Hersmile. Red was her favorite color. But there are others here. This cemetery is full of children. I'm not the only one who has lost one."

Because of that sad truth, and because her own 18-year-old daughter died in a caraccident when basic first aid might have saved her life, Spizzirri's steps have grownlarger and taken her much farther than her daughter's grave.

Now she is angrily chasing politicians from Springfield to Washington, and running theSave a Life Foundation, which is fighting to pass legislation requiring training in first aidand cardiopulmonary resuscitation for police, firefighters, teachers, public safety workersand emergency dispatchers.

Christina, of course, was her inspiration. First aid might have helped the girl after her arm

was severed in a crash on U.S. Highway 41 near Waukegan on Labor Day 1992.The first police officers on the scene balked at administering aid. By the time theparamedics arrived, Christina had bled to death on the highway.

"I asked (the police officer) what he did for my daughter, and he said his duty was todirect traffic," said Spizzirri, recalling the inquest. "I said, `Your duty is to maintainlife!'"


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When Spizzirri found out that police and fire personnel in Illinois, like other states, werenot required to be certified in first aid and CPR, nor were they required to assist in amedical emergency, she was appalled and infuriated.

"Ninety percent of the time, police and firemen arrive at a scene first," she said whileflipping through her research: statistics on death and injuries to schoolchildren, lettersfrom congressmen and news clippings. In an instant, she can fax out more than 60 pagesof data supporting her cause to interested parties.

"No one was there to teach me how to lobby. I'm just a mother on a mission from God.Like the Blues Brothers."

But it's a crusade that has cost her at least $60,000 of savings over two years, heradministrative job at Woodland School District 50, friendships with her neighbors (whoshe said grew weary of her relentless crusading), and her marriage to second husband

Dave Spizzirri. The two divorced a year ago."If you met me at a party and I told you my story, how good would that make you feel?"Spizzirri asked. "I tell everyone about my cause. All the time. I am obsessed with this,and Dave realized there is no other room in my life except my children and Save a Life."

On the outside, Spizzirri is tireless and determined, a 48-year-old woman with shoulder-length blond hair and faint weary lines under her warm coffee-colored eyes.

At Christmas, her house was cheerfully decorated, both inside and out. Most striking,though, were her interior walls, covered with an incalculable number of pictures of her

three daughters, Carlotta, 25, Christina, and Ciprina, 15, the only one left at home."At first I was just going along with everything, but now I'm behind Mom all the way,"said Ciprina, a sophomore at Warren High School. "I do reports about CPR, and my bestfriend learned it too."

But the house "no longer reeks with laughter," said Spizzirri, and she lights an occasionalcigarette to get through difficult moments.

When grief threatens to break her, she copes by talking about Save a Life, which she runsfrom Ciprina's old bedroom, now an office cluttered with donated computer equipment.

"Only 7 percent of 911 dispatchers are trained, for fear of lawsuits," Spizzirri recited."We lose 200,000 children a year due to accidents, not including violence. Fifty percentof those children could be saved with prompt emergency reactions."

"I stepped on a lot of people's toes," she admitted. "Lobbying efforts are very technicaland no one was willing to teach me."


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She plunged ahead anyway and set up the foundation in January 1993. Then sheapproached officials from Lake County like state Sen. Adeline Geo-Karis, state Rep.Robert Churchill and state Rep. Andrea Moore, but couldn't find anyone to call her back,let alone sponsor legislation.

So she turned Downstate and approached state Rep. Chuck Hartke (D-Effingham).Hartke listened and agreed to sponsor a bill that would mandate police, firefighters andteachers to be trained in first aid and CPR.

"Ever try to give CPR to yourself?" asked Hartke, who is also trained in the lifesavingtechnique. "It's impossible. All we had to do was convince the majority that it wasimportant and find the funds to do it.

"I don't think (Spizzirri) totally understands that not everyone has that as their No. 1priority. Her persistence and her almost unbelievable simplistic approach is what wassurprising."

The legislation, which Moore and Churchill later helped sponsor, fizzled, ending in theformation of a task force to study the issue.

Keeping up the pressure

Undeterred, she marched over to the Senate and campaigned in the hallway of theCapitol, preaching to anyone who walked by.

At the Illinois State Fair, she ambushed politicians, including U.S. Sen. Paul Simon (D-Ill.). She interrupted U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun (D-Ill.) during a press interview to

explain Save a Life and showed Moseley-Braun the 8-by-10-inch framed graduationphoto of Christina, which she carries on lobbying trips.

Then she spotted Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar at the fair on a golf cart and chased him for fourblocks, calling, "Governor, you and I have to talk!" before he listened to her story.

"I had to convince every politician individually," Spizzirri said. "I kept going back toevery office because they would say, `Oh yeah, I agree,' but then do nothing."

Celebrities also helped and she snagged support from former teen heartthrob BobbySherman and David Hasselhoff, star of the television program "Baywatch."

Hasselhoff not only agreed to be the honorary chairman of "Save a Life Day," but alsotaped a public service announcement encouraging people to sign up for classes.

Then Spizzirri received backing from groups like the National Safety Council, theAmerican Red Cross, the Illinois Department of Health and the Illinois State Police,which already required regular recertification of its officers in CPR and first aid.


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Not everyone was thrilled with Spizzirri's efforts. Some police groups and the MunicipalLeague argued that such a mandate would be too costly. According to Spizzirri, it wouldamount to about $1.5 million a year.

"Where I have some question is the cost of retraining," said Lake County Sheriff Clinton

Grinnell.

"Also, putting it into practice in the field is going to take some thought. The first officeron the scene has a lot of responsibility. One is to protect the area and make sure someoneisn't driving through the people already injured."

Finally, some results

But Spizzirri's persistence paid off. In September, Edgar signed a law that requiresIllinois police officers and firefighters to be trained in first aid and CPR before graduatingfrom their academies.

Edgar proclaimed Feb. 26 "Save a Life Day," and Illinois hospitals provided training andcertification in CPR and first aid to the public, many at no charge.

Also in September, President Clinton signed an appropriations bill introduced by U.S.Rep. Richard Durbin of Springfield. The legislation allows all states to use grant moneyfrom the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to fund CPR and first aidtraining programs.

To finish the year, Spizzirri in December met with Hillary Rodham Clinton's staff aboutSave a Life, and is now preparing a proposal for federal legislation.

"I dialed the wrong number but when I realized it was the First Lady's office, I told themmy story," Spizzirri said. "I sent information, then I got a phone call back and was toldthey made photocopies of my material and walked it over to Hillary."

But it's not enough for Spizzirri, because the new Illinois law says nothing aboutrecertification, which is ideally done every two years.

And Spizzirri would like to see airline attendants, bus drivers, dentists, 911 phoneanswerers, teachers-everyone-trained. She suggests it could be mandatory to receive CPRtraining with a driver's license.

"She wanted all teachers to be trained-not just health teachers," Hartke said. "Some look at that as another requirement, another mandate to dump on teachers-`How many 2ndgraders do you know have had a heart attack?' "

But history shows training the masses is possible and effective. In 1971 Seattle startedoffering free CPR classes by trained fire department personnel, and by 1988, 35 percentof the adult population was trained. Currently, about two-thirds of Seattle adults are


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trained in CPR, and the statistics speak for themselves.

The heart attack survival rate in Seattle is 30 percent, according to the Journal of theAmerican Medical Association. New York's is 5.3 percent while Chicago's is a dismal 4percent.

Pressing on

Some days it seems as if no one listens to Spizzirri. Others, she sees signs of progress.The Gurnee Fire Department offers at least 20 CPR classes per month and they fill onemonth in advance.

The legislators she has pestered have gone to certification classes themselves, realizingthey often speak in front of large crowds. A group of Illinois high school referees offereda CPR training class in November and would like to see all officials trained.

Save a Life Day has turned into Save a Life Week, which will be Feb. 20 through 27, co-sponsored by the Illinois Hospital Association.

And the spirited Spizzirri has two more bills in the works, one drafted by U.S. Rep. GerryStudds (D-Mass.) to amend the Public Health Service Act, and another by state SenatePresident James "Pate" Phillip, who she said has agreed to sponsor legislation. Both billswould expand the scope of training.

There's no telling how long she'll continue her crusade, but Spizzirri simply has to passthe cemetery on her way home or walk upstairs to remember why she's fighting.

Her middle daughter's bedroom is intact-preserved exactly as she left it when she dashedout of the house for the last time. The closet is full of dresses, and dust is gathering on theframe of "Footprints in the Sand," which still hangs on the wall.

"She's still here, in me," Spizzirri said, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"She's done a lot for humanity. Even in her death.

Caption:PHOTOS: Carol Spizzirri visits the grave of her daughter Christina, whose arm wassevered in a car accident in 1992. By the time paramedics arrived, she had bled to death.Tribune photos by Michael Budrys.PHOTO: Carol Spizzirri at Christina's grave: ``I can still feel her hand. And I see hereverywhere,'' she says. Tribune photo by Michael BudrysPHOTOS 3

Section: TEMPOPage: 1


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###

Correction: Additional material published Feb. 7, 1995:

Corrections and clarifications.

A story in the Jan. 16 Tempo section about the crusade of Carol Spizzirri of Grayslake torequire police, firefighters, teachers, public-safety workers and emergency dispatchers tobe trained in first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation contained some errors because itdid not include details of official documents concerning the case that precipitated hercampaign.

Spizzirri told the Tribune that her daughter, Christina Pratt, 18, had bled to death on aLake County highway following a traffic accident in which the girl's arm was severed.According to a coroner's inquest, however, Spizzirri's daughter died in a hospital, morethan an hour after the accident, of multiple traumatic injuries, including a depressed skull

fracture in the back of her head. Also, according to Chief Deputy Coroner James Wipper,her arm was not severed in the accident, although Spizzirri maintains that it was.

The story also said that the first police officers at the scene of the accident "balked" atadministering first aid, implying that they should have administered it, and that "basicfirst aid might have saved her life." In fact, the officers are not trained, certified orrequired to perform first aid, and given the official cause of death, it is unlikely that basicfirst aid would have saved her. The Tribune regrets the error

Copyright 1995, Chicago TribuneRecord Number: CTR9502070177


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bert Kolkebeck practices clearing the airways as his Kerkstra Middle School peers look on. '


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Grayslakemother's loss could save livPilot first-aid courseteaches pupilshowto care, not to stare'By Charles Stanley'SPECIAL THE TRJBUNE

The baby may have been nothing more than a rubber doll, butCharlie Sopko wasn't playing.

He firmly thumped the doll'sback. making every effort to bring breath out of the inanimate toy.

That, he explained, was part ofhow to clear a choking baby'sthroat.

His audience listened intently.Sopko, a firefighter-paramedicwith the Oak Forest Fire Department was showing these pupils atKerkstra Middle School in OakForest one of the greatest miracleshere is: How to save another per-

son's life.

K e r k s t r a w a s t h e s i t e l a stmonth of the f i s t pilot classes ofSave A Life for Kids. The one-hour program of basic life-supportechniques is specifically designedo be taught to schoolchildren by

heir local f i e department's emer.gency medical service profession-als.

Instead of teaching children ton for help. Save A Life for Kidseaches them how to give aidhemselves when confronted with

potentially 1ife.threatening cir-umstance such a s a chokingaby.

The program, which has draunat ional in teres t . i s the la tes tush by the Save A Life Founda-ion in Grayslake to spread the. .

basics of emergency life-supportf is t aid.

Few people feel the need forsuch training more strongly thanSave A Life's founder and presi-dent, Carol Spizzirri.

The death of her 17-year-olddaughter. Christina, in an auioaccident near Waukegan on LaborDay in 1992 encouraged Spizzirrito undertake a stubborn, and ulti-mately successful personal cru.sade to improve the training ofemergency workers.

In January 1995. Gov. JimEdgar signed legislation requiringfirst aid and cardiopulmonaryresuscitation training for gradua.tion from police and fue acade-mies. That same month. President

Clinton signed legislation spon.sored by U.S. Rep. Dick Dwbin (D-m.) encowaging states to use fed-eral highway safety grants to offerfirst aid and CPR programs foremergency personnel.

Spizzirri has extended her train -ing campaign to include school-children.

Schools and fire departmentsfrom California to Pennsylvaniahave contacted her about Save A

Life for Kids. she said.Sopko learned of the program

through an art icle writ ten byJohn Vogel of the Orland FireProtection District in a firefight-ers magazine. Vogel is working tostart the program later this yearin Orland schools. Spizzirri said.

With his department's encour-agement Sopko made a presenta-tion to the school board in ForestRidge School District 142, wherehe had taught for four yearsbefore joining the f i e department

-

full time.

The school board enthusically endorsed hosting the pprogram, said Supt. Keith BuHe said he hopes Save A Life Kids can be integrated as a manent part of the district's riculum

"This i s valuable trainiBuell said. "Too often incies we have no choice bustand back and do nothing."

It was just the point Sopko making to the pupils.

When emergencies happen. want you to care, ot to sttold teacher Kathi Cassmhealth class.

Using the baby doll as wetoddler and adult-size dummSopko showed how to adminirescue breathing techniques the Heimlich maneuver. He talkabout how to treat bleedingwell as shock, how to call for hand why to stay calm.

He also taught the kids howidentify heart attacks in adand urged them to insist adults who downplay the symtoms get immediate hospital car

"Give them the guilt trip, OSopko said to the room fulgrins. "Keep on bugging them."

After a 10-question test ,final step in the program is presentation of a button with Save A Life for Kids logo.

"We thought about giving tha certificate, but they get a cercate for everything else." said Jeff Floyd of the O ak ForDepartment.

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Databases selected: ProQuest Newspapers


FIR EFIGHTER'S EFFORTS BUY TI ME CAMPA IGN TEACHES KIDS WH AT TO DO UNTILHELP ARRI VES; [SOUTHWEST SPOR TS FINA L, SW Edition]Don Babwin. Special to the Tribune. . Chicago Tribune . Chicago, Ill.: Apr 15, 1998. pg. 4

Abstract (Summary)Lt. John Vogel knew how valuable safety education could be even before he joined the Orland Fire Protection District. When hisformer boss' wife had a seizure, she suffocated because her tongue blocked her breathing. If her 5-year-old child had known to turnher head to the side, her tongue would have fallen out of the way and allowed her to breathe.

He had heard about the organization from his chief. He contacted organization president and founder Carol Spizzirri andvolunteered to work with the group. At Spizzirri's suggestion, Vogel wrote that it would be a good idea to start a similar program forchildren.

Charlie Sopko, an Oak Forest firefighter/paramedic, saw the article and agreed with Vogel. About three years later, the two haddeveloped a program and wrote a booklet to teach children that there are basic things they can do in an emergency that can--anddo--save lives. The program was funded by the foundation.

Copyright Chicago Tribune Co. Apr 15, 1998

SPECIAL TOWN SECTION. Orland Park.

Lt. John Vogel knew how valuable safety education could be even before he joined the Orland Fire Protection District. When hisformer boss' wife had a seizure, she suffocated because her tongue blocked her breathing. If her 5-year-old child had known to turnher head to the side, her tongue would have fallen out of the way and allowed her to breathe.

In more than 14 years with the fire district, Vogel, a firefighter/paramedic, has seen the same kind of tragedy repeated time and timeagain because children didn't know to turn a person's head or to dial 911.

Three years ago, he wrote an article for a newspaper distributed to firefighters, police officers and paramedics. The article was aboutthe Save A Life Foundation Inc., a non-profit organization based in Schiller Park that is devoted to training emergency personnel inlifesaving techniques.

He had heard about the organization from his chief. He contacted organization president and founder Carol Spizzirri and volunteeredto work with the group. At Spizzirri's suggestion, Vogel wrote that it would be a good idea to start a similar program for children.

Spizzirri founded the organization after her daughter's death in 1992. The victim of a hit-and-run accident, the girl bled to deathbecause the first officer on the scene hadn't received sufficient first-aid training to save her life.

Charlie Sopko, an Oak Forest firefighter/paramedic, saw the article and agreed with Vogel. About three years later, the two haddeveloped a program and wrote a booklet to teach children that there are basic things they can do in an emergency that can--anddo--save lives. The program was funded by the foundation.

"We're just trying to teach kids enough to keep somebody going until we get there," Vogel, 43, says. "We're trying to buy some time."

Since the program was developed, Spizzirri, of Schiller Park, has been campaigning to make sure all public service workers in the

state, including teachers and police officers, have the kind of training that could have saved her daughter's life.Spizzirri recognized that what Vogel and Sopko were offering filled a very serious gap: the critical time before emergency personnelarrive at the scene of an accident. "He was a godsend," she says, explaining that he has brought his expertise to the organization.

In its first school year of 1996-97, about 5,000 children throughout Illinois received the Save A Life For Kids training. This year,another 20,000 are expected to be trained, Spizzirri says.

More than 150 fire departments and districts throughout the state have requested and received the program. The charge, 75 centsfor each child who takes the program, defrays the cost of publishing the booklet. Fire departments in other states, such as Colorado,Wisconsin, Arizona and New Mexico, also have requested it. "We've even had inquiries from (departments in) Turkey, France andCanada," Vogel says.


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Jack McCastland, Vogel's chief, praises the idea. "He did this on his own (not as part of his duties), as an individual--he just did it,"McCastland says.

The booklet is designed to show children in a short time simple things they can do to help someone in an emergency. The programis aimed at children ages 4 through 12. Depending on their age, children learn basic skills, such as bleeding control, the Heimlichmaneuver, rescue breathing, how to recognize a heart attack and how to call for help.

Younger children go through the booklet, and older children have hands-on practice with fire department dummies and equipment.For example, to stop bleeding, the children are taught to put a plastic bag over their hands and apply pressure to the wound.

The program is taught by firefighters, who initially were trained by Vogel and Sopko. Qualified firefighters now are training otherfirefighters to teach the classes.

Vogel considers the program's brevity to be a strong point. "We teach basic lifesaving skills in an hour to an hour and a half," hesays.

Vogel, who has five children, understands about short attention spans and designed the program to be short. "For an hour, it is easyto hold their attention," he says, especially because there are pictures in the booklet.

Vogel believes that teaching children these skills is as important as the instruction he and other firefighters give them on fire safety.

"It is rare you're trapped in a burning building," he says. "But 80 percent of our calls are medical calls. A kid home with his grandmaor mother who has a heart attack--that kind of thing happens every day."

And while he is heartened by stories about a small child dialing 911, he believes that shouldn't be so rare as to warrant mention onthe news. "Kids should be doing that," he says.

Vogel grew up in an unincorporated area near Orland Park. He attended Sandburg High School in Orland Park for two years and

transferred to Chicago Christian High School in Palos Heights for his junior and senior years.He worked in construction for seven years, and it was during that time that his boss' wife died.

He had to quit work for about a year because of an illness. During that year, he took first-aid classes offered by the American RedCross and became a Red Cross volunteer.

After he recovered from his illness, he moved back to Orland Park. He had developed an interest in becoming an emergencymedical technician, and he enrolled in classes at Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills. He began working as apaid-on-call firefighter/EMT for the district. He was hired full time in 1983 and became a paramedic in 1984.

Vogel says he has a deep appreciation for life. He knows first hand how, in an instant, it can go terribly wrong. One day when he was17, he was driving on an interstate highway; he couldn't see that traffic had stopped on the other side of a rise and his car slammedinto the rear of a truck at 70 m.p.h.

His pelvis and chest were crushed, and doctors weren't sure he would survive. One of his legs was so badly mangled that doctorsdidn't know whether they could save it. He made a full recovery with his leg intact.

He vividly remembers the treatment he received en route to the hospital. "I was thrown on a stretcher by people who didn't have aclue what to do," he says. "It wasn't their fault, they just didn't have the training." He smiles in amazement at the first-aid informationthat wasn't known at the time. "I remember they strapped a safety belt across my crushed pelvis and another tight across my chest,"he says. "And then both of the guys went and sat up front (in the ambulance). There wasn't anybody in back with me."

Vogel was in the hospital for a month and unable to walk for five months.

Later, after his first-aid training, he decided to teach first aid in Red Cross programs, first in Fond du Lac, Wis., where he moved afterhigh school.

Vogel, who is divorced, lives in New Lenox with his three daughters, ages 15, 13 and 8. He also has two grown sons and threegrandchildren.

Today, educating others remains a major part of his life. Besides his job at the fire district and his promotion of Save A Life For Kids,he teaches classes to other emergency workers. They include paramedic classes at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn and IngallsMemorial Hospital in Harvey, and tactical rescue classes to firefighters in the district.

On Sundays he teaches an adult Bible study class at his church, the New Lenox Church of the Nazarene.

When he is not teaching, he's taking correspondence courses in biology from Western Illinois University, Macomb, and music atMoraine Valley. "I'm trying to get myself educated," he says with a laugh.

[Illustration]PHOTO; Caption: PHOTO: Orland Fire Protection District Lt. John Vogel helped start the Save A Life For Kids program, which teaches tipssuch as dialing 911. Tribune photo by James Mayo.


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Pupils prepare for emergencies ; Health-care pros teach youngsters CPR, first aid;[W est , DN Edition]Laura Zahn Pohl Special to the Tribune . Chicago Tribune . Chicago, Ill.: Jan 10, 2002. pg. 3

Abstract (Summary)Steck 4th graders Jessica Kligis and Tyler Xanders learn how to take their pulses during a first-aid presentation. Jessica Kligiswatches as Chicago Fire Capt. [George Gurrola] shows Steck School pupils how to perform CPR.

(Copyright 2002 by the Chicago Tribune)

Pumping hard with his fists and counting aloud to 15, Pulkit Goel, 9, was among the first youngsters Tuesday to practice the steps ofbasic cardiopulmonary resuscitation at Steck Elementary School in Aurora.

Each of the school's 4th- and 5th-grade pupils spent an hour learning about basic first aid and practicing lifesaving skills on amannequin they pretended was their grandfather. "I think I did pretty good, but my grandparents live in India," Pulkit said.

Regardless of family locations or the ages of pupils' friends, the goal this week was to go beyond health basics, said Joyce Peters, theschool's physical education teacher.

Typically, pupils don't receive instruction in first aid at school, but Peters wanted to expand the health curriculum. "So many of them atthis age are allowed to go to the park with their friends," Peters said. "If you're with two friends and someone gets hurt, one personruns for help and the one who stays back better knows what to do."

To teach the Steck pupils, Peters enlisted the Save A Life Foundation, which is based in Schiller Park. The organization was foundedby Carol Spizzirri, who lost a daughter in a car accident due to bleeding from an arm wound. She recruited nurses and trainedfirefighters to teach basic first aid, with the hope that others would be prepared in an emergency.

In November, Save A Life Foundation opened an office in Hanover Park to reach out to more suburban schools.

The two days of instruction at Steck were the first arranged through the new office. "We're hoping to recruit more instructors in thisarea," said Betsy Green, who manages the new office. The organization pays its instructors, she added.

One of the instructors, George Gurrola of Chicago, works full time as a captain in the Chicago Fire Department. He got off duty at theMidway Rescue Station at 8 a.m. Tuesday and arrived ready to teach in Aurora by 9:15 a.m. He's been using his off-duty time to teachfirst aid for the last 3 1/2 years and can give instruction in Spanish.

"I had heard Carol's story, that she wanted every kid to be educated in first aid," Gurrola said. "I really believe in her and what's she'sdoing."

Gurrola simplifies his first-aid training for children to the letters A, B and C, which stand for airway, breathing and circulation. He showsthe pupils how to open an airway, check for breathing and begin CPR. Dashing to the phone to call 911 is part of the procedure.

"You should always have a clue as to where you are," he told the youngsters. "So many people go blank on addresses and directions."

Gurrola's talk included how to treat heavy bleeding from a wound and a demonstration of the Heimlich maneuver, which he asked thepupils not to practice.

For more information about Save A Life Foundation, call 847-952- 7385.

[Illustration]PHOTOS 2; Caption: PHOTO: Steck 4th graders Jessica Kligis (left) and Tyler Xanders learn how to take their pulses during a first-aidpresentation. PHOTO: Jessica Kligis watches as Chicago Fire Capt. George Gurrola shows Steck School pupils how to perform CPR. Tribunephotos by Mario Petitti.

Indexing (document details)

Subjects: Elementary school students, Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, CPR, First aid

Locations: Aurora Illinois


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Emergency responders welcome a lifesaving icon ; Heimlich on hand forsummit on dealing w ith crises; [Chicago Final Edition]

Manya A Brachear, Tribune staff reporter . Chicago Tribune . Chicago, Ill.: Sep 17, 2003. pg. 6

Abstract (Summary)At the summit, sponsored by the Save a Life Foundation based in Schiller Park, representatives from the National WeatherService shared the agency's procedures and offered ways to become an effective weather watcher. Speakers also urgedparticipants to teach lifesaving skills such as the Heimlich maneuver and CPR and how to respond in emergencies such astornadoes.


At first, organizers of an emergency preparedness summit Tuesday thought Hurr icane Isabel had stolen several of its

keynote speakers. After all, it was hard to compete with a real national emergency.Then in walked the crowd pleaser--Dr. Henry Heimlich, father of the maneuver that has enabled thousands to save victimsfrom choking to death or drowning.

For participants of the conference aimed at changing the way witnesses respond to a crisis, Heimlich is an icon.

At the summit, sponsored by the Save a Life Foundation based in Schiller Park, representatives from the National WeatherService shared the agency's procedures and offered ways to become an effective weather watcher. Speakers also urgedparticipants to teach lifesaving skills such as the Heimlich maneuver and CPR and how to respond in emergencies such astornadoes.

With the proper training, summit organizers said, schools, corporations and individuals can more effectively respond todisasters, health risks, and crime.

"It's not just for professional first responders," said Liz DiGregorio, Citizen Corps liaison to the White House, during apresentation Tuesday.

Bystanders, witnesses and victims are often the first people to help in an accident, DiGregorio said, pointing out that thereare not enough police officers, firefighters and emergency personnel to cover everyone.

Carol Spizzirri, founder of the Save a Life Foundation, said government agencies need to cooperate more.

In an effort to build camaraderie between entities, Spizzirri invited representatives from the National Weather Service,Federal Emergency Management Agency, Chicago Police and Fire Departments and Cook County Department of PublicHealth to the summit.

"It's a shame that we can't learn from each other ... because we've put these barriers up," she said.

Spizzirri started Save a Life in 1993 after her daughter died in a hit-and-run car accident. People who arrived first on thescene had not been trained to administer the care that could have saved her l ife, she said.

Empowering bystanders in emergencies is key; it also does wonders for a person's self-esteem, she added. "We have giventhat person something to embrace with their hearts, their heads, their hands," she said. "With these skills, you become adifferent person."

Perhaps that's why Heimlich, president of the Heimlich Institute in Cincinnati, heard from more Samaritans than survivorsTuesday. He has helped people rush to the rescue in restaurants around the world. He will kick off the second day of theconference at 8:45 a.m. Wednesday.

"I always say the life you save is in your hands," Heimlich said. "What moves me more than anything else is hearing


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QUALITIES OF LIFE: HEALTH

CPR activist targets kids as emerging

heroesJulie Deardorff Chicago TribuneJuly 3, 2005

CPR is one of those skills I've been meaning to learn for years. But it wasn't until I beganfishing life-threatening objects out of my infant's mouth that I managed to get myprocrastinating self into a class.

It shouldn't have taken so long, especially because I've known of Carol Spizzirri and her

work for more than a decade. But Spizzirri, the tireless founder of the Schiller Park-basedSave A Life Foundation, or SALF, doesn't bother nagging adults.

Her life mission, a crusade that began after her teenage daughter was killed in a 1992 caraccident, is to teach an entire generation of children how to save lives.

Adults always think, "Why should I spend money to learn these skills if it isn't going tohappen to me?" said Spizzirri, of Grayslake. "That's why we empower the children. Bythe time they graduate [from high school], the skills should be so ingrained that it's likebrushing their teeth."

Spizzirri first lobbied to pass legislation requiring Illinois police and firefighters--oftenthe first responders to an accident--to be trained in CPR, or cardiopulmonaryresuscitation, and first aid. The 1994 law also requires yearly refresher courses.

Since then, the foundation's primary focus has been to teach America's youth theimportance of emergency lifesaving techniques. With support and guidance from two of the most influential men in the field--Dr. Henry Heimlich, the architect of the anti-choking maneuver, and the late Dr. Peter Safar, a founding father of CPR--Spizzirri co-wrote an age-appropriate training curriculum.

Firefighters and other emergency medical service professionals, who have been recruitedand trained to teach by SALF, are the ambassadors who take the free program into publicschools.

Since 1993, more than a million Illinois children from kindergarten through 12th gradehave been exposed to life-supporting first aid skills through SALF. The youngest learnscene safety, how to contact 911 and bleeding control. The Heimlich and early heartattack care is introduced in 3rd grade. CPR, to restore blood flow to vital organs, is addedin 6th grade.


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Eventually Spizzirri wants teachers, coaches and bus drivers to know CPR and for theskill to be mandatory in driver's education.

"These emergencies happen everywhere," said Spizzirri, a former nurse who has been

honored nationally for her leadership and activism. "If we empower the kids with thetraining, they'll be able to do it and embarrass the heck out of adults."

But there's no need to wait until you've been shamed by your 9-year-old nephew'sflawless chest-compression demonstration or there's a crisis at the local swimming pool,the neighbor's back yard or the office. In addition to Save A Life (www.salf.org), both theAmerican Heart Association (www.americanheart.org) and American Red Cross(www.redcross.org) offer convenient training classes.

Even if you've had CPR instruction, refresher courses should be taken every two years,something that isn't happening at most Illinois police departments, including Chicago's,

Spizzirri said.Most CPR classes also now incorporate training on automated external defibrillators, orAED's. By July 2006, these nearly foolproof devices that (unlike CPR) can jump-start astopped heart, will be required at all Illinois health clubs, school gymnasiums and park district facilities.

The day after I discovered my son was secretly sucking on a small stick, I signed up for acomprehensive eight-hour class through the American Red Cross, which included adult,child and infant CPR, first aid and AED training. It was hands-on and hygienic; webreathed into the mouths of our own personal mannequins through disposable plasticshields.Throughout the day, I learned that choking adults should be given abdominalthrusts instead of back blows, a practice that ended more than 10 years ago. The classcovered state Good Samaritan laws (taking an approved training course protects do-gooders from lawsuits) and AED precautions (cells phones shouldn't be used with in sixfeet of the devices.)

But it wasn't just the technical information that was invaluable. The confidence thatcomes with taking a class or having previous exposure to equipment like an AED is acritical part of staying calm during a crisis. And there's nothing better than knowing I cantake action should something happen to the most important people in my life, or to totalstrangers. It was empowering.

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E-mail Julie Deardorff at [email protected]. Send health and fitness news [email protected].

Copyright 2005, Chicago Tribune
http://../http://../


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Foundation law suit tied to Heimlich family feud; [Chicago Final Edition]Michael Higgins . Chicago Tribune . Chicago, Ill.: May 4, 2007. pg. 8

Abstract (Summary)The lawsuit is the latest chapter in a feud between [Henry Heimlich] and his son. On his Web site, [Peter Heimlich] derides hisfather for continuing to push what he says are discredited theories, such as the idea that the Heimlich maneuver should beused on drowning victims.


A non-profit foundation that promotes the Heimlich maneuver to aid choking victims filed a defamation lawsuit Thursdayagainst three critics, including the estranged son of Dr. Henry Heimlich, inventor of the technique.

The Save-A-Life Foundation, based in Schiller Park, alleges that Peter Heimlich and others have falsely accused the

foundation of teaching improper first-aid techniques, misleading potential donors about the group's finances and misstatinghow many people the foundation has trained.

The defendants spread their charges to the news media as part of "their organized campaign to destroy Save-A-Life,"according to the lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court.

The criticism has made it harder for Save-A-Life to get government grants and private donations, the lawsuit said.

Also named as defendants are Robert Baratz, an official of the National Council Against Health Fraud, and Jason Haap, whoruns the Cincinnati Beacon Web site.

None of the defendants could be reached Thursday for comment.

The lawsuit is the latest chapter in a feud between Henry Heimlich and his son. On his Web site, Peter Heimlich derides hisfather for continuing to push what he says are discredited theories, such as the idea that the Heimlich maneuver should beused on drowning victims.

The lawsuit alleges that some defendants made defamatory statements on an ABC-7 TV report in November. No news outletsare named as defendants.

Since Save-A-Life was founded in 1993, it has trained about 1.6 mill ion children in lifesaving techniques, the lawsuit said. Thefoundation says it has 13 branches in seven states.

Dr. Heimlich is closely affiliated with Save-A-Life, and until recently he served on the group's medical advisory board, accordingto the lawsuit.

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[email protected]

Credit: By Michael Higgins, Tribune staff reporter


Subjects: Litigation, Heimlich maneuver, Defamation

People: Heimlich, Peter

Companies: Save-A-Life Foundation ( NAICS: 813319 )

Author(s): Michael Higgins

Document types: News


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Save-A-Life Foundatio n in limbo; Charity dogged by critic s, econom y is 'inhibernation'Lisa Black . Chicago Tribune . Chicago, Ill.: Oct 11, 2009. pg. 24

Abstract (Summary)[...] 2008, the Illinois Department of Public Health and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided the lion's shareof the foundation's annual income.


CORRECTION: This story contains corrected material, published Oct. 16, 2009.

Carol Spizzirri's life changed the instant she learned the horrifying details of her daughter's car wreck. The teenager suffered asevere head injury, and her left arm was nearly severed after her Pontiac Grand Am slid off the road and overturned. Police, who

found the 18-year-old lying outside the vehicle, testified they weren't trained in first aid and could offer little but comfort.A University of Chicago doctor later examined the medical records from the 1992 crash near Waukegan. Despite a countycoroner's report to the contrary, he said Christina Jean Pratt (the name as publ ished has been corrected here and in a subsequentreference in this text) might not have died had she received basic first aid for control of hemorrhage.

Haunted by her daughter's death, Spizzirri launched a nonprofit organization ded icated to teaching children emergency responsetechniques, raising at least $8.6 million in federal and state grants for her Sa ve-A-Life Foundation. Firefighters and paramedicswere recruited to offer instruction on how to apply CPR and stop bleeding and ch oking, said Spizzirri, who estimates 2 millionchildren took the classes, many of them from the Chicago Public Schools.

Her supporters in the 1990s included Gov. Jim Edgar, then-U.S. Rep Dick Durbin and television star David Hasselhoff of"Baywatch" fame. She appeared on "Inside Edition" and helped push through a state law in 1994 that requires police andfirefighters be trained to provide first aid.

But Spizzirri, 63, has quietly closed the foundation's headquarters in Schiller Park. The organization, which once had 13 nationalbranches and planned to go international, no longer receives public funding and is "in hibernation" until the economy improves,she said.

The subject of an unflattering television report in 2006, Spizzirri was embroiled for two years in a defamation lawsuit she filed instate court against several critics who alleged she couldn't prove that her organization had trained as many children as she saidand that it wasted taxpayers' money. Spizzirri, who eventually dropped her suit, said it took its toll and helped prompt her recentdecision to suspend operations.

"I can sleep because I know I did no harm," she said.

As the foundation's president, Spizzirri proved skillful at raising money and pi tching her program at the state and federal levels.Until 2008, the Illinois Department of Public Health and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided the lion's shareof the foundation's annual income. The state contributed $600,000 to $700,000 annually most years, beginning in 1999, accordingto tax records.

The Public Health Department "completed all of the standard grant monitoring required by the grant agreements and found themoney was spent appropriately," according to an agency statement.

The CDC also provided thousands in grant money. The Federal Emergency Management Agency adopted the program as one ofmany Citizen Corps affiliates, but, "The group did not receive funding, and Citi zen Corps has since ended its affiliation with thefoundation," said spokesman Clark Stevens.

Much of the foundation's work, Spizzirri said, focused on Chicago's public schools. City school officials did not respond to inquiriesabout how many students received emergency training, but officials previously co nfirmed that the foundation taught classes thatwere arranged by individual schools.

Records show that Spizzirri reported her annual salary as $104,500 in 2000, an amount that dropped over the years to $33,380,


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according to the last available record.

Critics have alleged that Save-A-Life initially garnered support with a misleadi ng portrayal of Christina Jean Pratt's death. Thefoundation's 1995 annual report stated that the teenager "bled to death following a hit-and-run accident," but police reportsindicate only the teen's car was involved. The report omitted that the teen's bl ood-alcohol level was twice the legal limit.

Testimony at a Lake County coroner's inquest revealed the teenager had been drinking alcohol at her mother's house with friendsearlier in the evening.

At the time of the crash, Spizzirri was on a visit to Florida. She had undergone a rocky divorce and had a turbulent relationshipwith her daughter, who temporarily lived at a neighbor's house, according to court records.

Today, Spirrizzi is consumed with a new project: helping municipalities fight cyber-crime. She said she is starting a privatebusiness with close friend Rita Mullins, 64, former mayor of Palatine.

"I am," Spizzirri said, "a mom who lost a child, and that is all that is important."

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[email protected]

Confidence from training: Julie Deardorff on CPR training at chicagotribune.com/training

Credit: By Lisa Black, TRIBUNE REPORTER

[Illustration]Caption: Photo (color): Carol Spizzirri, founder of Save-A-Life Foundation: "I can sle ep because I know I did no harm." STACEYWESCOTT/TRIBUNE PHOTO


Subjects: Business closings

Companies: Save-A-Life Foundation ( NAICS: 813319 )

Author(s): Lisa Black

Document types: News

Section: News

Publication title: Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Ill.: Oct 11, 2009. pg. 24


ISSN: 10856706


Text Word Count 774

Document URL: http://research.cincinnatilibrary.org:2073/pqdweb?did=1877065671&sid=17&Fmt=3&clientId=17630&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Copyright 2009 ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved.


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www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-claris_10-16-09oct16,0,1697938.story

chicagotribune.com

Corrections and clarifications, Oct. 16, 2009

October 16, 2009

--A story and an editorial Thursday inaccurately described action on legislation in Springfield that would reduce thenumber of votes needed to override vetoes by the Cook County Board president. The Illinois House and a Senatecommittee passed two different bills regarding the same issue; they did not vote on the same bill.

--An item on Thursday's Talk page listed an incorrect approximate order for peak fall colors in 10 national parks. Thecorrect order is: Acadia National Park, Maine; Mount Rainier National Park, Wash.; Saratoga National Historic Park,N.Y.; Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Ind.; Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, Minn.; DelawareWater Gap National Recreation Area, Pa.; New River Gorge National River, W.Va.; Cuyahoga Valley National Park,Ohio; Valley Forge National Historical Park, Pa.; Great Smoky Mountains National Park, N.C./Tenn.

--On Page 4 Thursday, a photo caption incorrectly described a traffic tie-up related to the problem with a section of buckled pavement on the Kennedy Expressway. The photograph showed that northbound traffic Wednesday eveningwas backed up on the Dan Ryan Expressway.

--A Section 1 news brief on Thursday incorrectly said that the Food and Drug Administration warned Procter &Gamble for adding vitamin C to its cold products. The federal agency said it did not issue a warning to the company.

--A story on Sunday about Carol Spizzirri and the Save-A-Life Foundation identified her late daughter as ChristinaSpizzirri, a name that her mother said she went by. The daughter's legal name, however, was Christina Jean Pratt.

The Tribune regrets the errors.

Copyright 2009, Chicago Tribune

all chitrib articles about salf, 1993-2009

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