DONATE YOUR AUVI Q TRAINER TO EMERGENCY RESPONDERS

As an allergy parent, you do everything to keep your child safe. Work with their school, provide safe alternative foods, make sure they wear they MedicAlert jewelry, make sure they always carry their Epi-Pen or Auvi-Q...

But did you ever stop to think what would happen if the person responding to your child in an emergency/anaphyactic situation was not familiar with your child's epinephrine device?

This realization just hit me last night as I was chatting with a friend who happens to be a local emergency responder.

We had just replaced all of our expired Epi-Pens with the new Auvi-Qs and had a trainer lying on an end table, so my children could practice and get more familiar and comfortable with it. My friend picked it up, turned it over a couple of times and asked, "what's this - - a cell phone battery?"

I guess I never stopped to wonder how and when emergency responders get trained and how long it takes for a new device procedure to trickle down to them. If they only do in-service trainings a couple of times a year, I really don't want to wait and hope my child doesn't need their help one day at school, before the responder has learned about the Auvi-Q!

When we first got them, I showed my children's teachers and all other school staff how they worked and left a trainer for them to teach substitutes and new employees, but I never thought about the emergency responders in my city.

I promptly gathered all the trainers we could spare, taught my friend how to use one and told him to keep one to train his colleagues. I also asked him to deliver one each to the other 2 fire departments in our city.

My husband works for the city, so I sent him one to donate to the police department, as well.

This is my allergy tip for other allergy parents. Consider calling your local PD and/or Fire Dept and offer to donate an Auvi-Q trainer. Show them how to use it when you bring it in. Even if they don't have a formal training session scheduled anytime soon, ask them to make sure all emergency responders familiarize themselves with this product.

They might already know all about it, but you also might just help save a life if they don't!