Fisher Security Staff Expands Training on Treatment of Severe Allergic Reactions
January 25, 2018
This spring, St. John Fisher College will be among the first colleges in Western New York to train its security officers to use Auvi-Qs, a new epinephrine auto-injector that treats severe allergic reactions, thanks to the recently passed New York State Emergency Allergy Treatment Act (EATA).
Similar to legislation related to AED devices, the EATA program allows trained personnel who are not medical professionals to administer epinephrine in an anaphylactic incident. The College’s safety and security staff will be trained, expanding the CPR, AED, and First Aid training courses to include a more in-depth severe allergy module to satisfy New York State’s code.
The 12 new injectors will be stored with AED devices that are located in high-traffic areas around campus and in a mobile unit with campus security staff.
“Our mission is to provide for the safety of the Fisher community and our guests. We understand that anaphylactic incidents are on the rise across the United States, and our population may be at risk – whether they are aware of an allergy or due to accidental ingestion of an allergen,” said Al Camp, fire and life safety officer at Fisher. “Our intent is to provide this medication—when required—if our Wellness Center is not open.”
The purchase of the Auvi-Q devices, which include innovative voice instructions, was made possible thanks to a grant from the Allergy Advocacy Association in Rochester, a non-profit organization that seeks to prevent anaphylaxis due to severe allergic reactions.
“It’s a significant issue because of the number of undiagnosed people who are at risk for anaphylaxis who don’t even know it,” said Jon Terry, founder and president of the Association. “Statistics show that in the last five years, having epinephrine in schools greatly reduces the number of fatal attacks of anaphylaxis.”
In addition to the expanded training, the College is launching an allergy awareness and education campaign across the campus community. The message? “Know what you’re eating” for guests, including information on the eight major food allergens and symptoms of reactions. Safety and Security is also working with the College’s dining services to expand “know what you’re serving” training for food service staff.
“Our food service partner is great about meeting with students who have food allergies to discuss menu options and also about removing sources of cross contamination,” Camp said.
Students who wish to report known food allergies to dining services are encouraged to do so using the Food Allergy Reporting Form in myMealPlan. By knowing the dietary needs of meal plan holders, dining services is able to provide a greater variety of food options and continue quality service. Students can also contact Lackmann directly at lackmanndining@sjfc.edu with any specific concerns, questions, or dietary needs.