Mike Wolanin | The Republic Columbus police officers Angie Owens, left, and Alec McCullough demonstrate how to use a Lifevac choking aid at the Columbus Police Department in Columbus, Ind., Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024.
Columbus police officers have added a new life-saving tool to their repertoire.
Officer Alec McCullough had seen advertisements on social media for an accordion-style device called a LifeVac and it piqued his interest, thinking it might be useful for CPD officers to carry while on duty.
The device, which he said police in Greensburg also have, uses suction to remove foreign objects from a person’s airway.
It was top of mind when he sat down with Columbus Police Chief Steve Norman for a meeting about two months ago.
“(Chief Norman) asked what I thought about the equipment we had, if there’s anything new that we could implement,” McCullough said. “I brought this up to him and he thought it was a good idea and told me to do the research on it, write up a proposal and see what we can get done.”
“I told him that I think this would be a good device to have, because it’s just another tool to help save people,” McCullough said.
At the time of the meeting, McCullough, who had been with CPD for over a year, had yet to go on a person choking call. That changed the day after.
“The very next day I went on a call and it was an elderly person who was choking and the person was laying down, so the Heimlich and the typical backblows were not an option,” he said.
In an instance like that, there wasn’t much McCullough could do. The patient was transferred to the hospital and McCullough didn’t know what their outcome was, but it showed him the utility that the device could provide.
“I feel like had we had this device, I think we would have had a better chance of helping that person,” McCullough said.
CPD ended up purchasing 100 LifeVacs, enough so every officer has one in their vehicles. The kits come with masks for adults, and pediatric masks as well.
“You assemble it by putting the mask on the device itself,” Officer Angie Owens said while demonstrating. “You would put (the mask) around the nose and the mouth.”
Owens herself has a somewhat similar device at home called a Dechoker, which is more of a syringe-style and looks kind of like a turkey baster.
She got it after going on a choking call to DSI Services about five years ago.
“They had a person who was to sit with them and watch them chew their food, because they were known for choking,” Owens said. “The gentleman made it for a day or so, and then ended up passing for complications. But I was like, ‘I need something else,’ so I just purchased it myself, and I had young kids at the time, so it’s always a good thing to have at home.”
From January 2020 to Sept. 1 of 2024, CPD was dispatched to 108 “person choking” calls or about three to four a month, McCullough said.
Those incidents are each different depending on a person’s age, their condition and what sort of position they are in.
For children and elderly people in particular, the Heimlich or backblows could result in broken ribs, so the LifeVac is less invasive.
The American Heart Association says the first option, if possible, is to do backblows and stomach thrusts if the person is conscious and then use a device like the LifeVac as a secondary option, according to Owens.
Another benefit of the device, McCullough said, is that it can be used on someone no matter what position they are in, whether they’re standing, on the floor or sitting— versatility that’s crucial when responding to an emergency situation.
“Some of the people that knew I was doing this were super excited that we were going to get them,” McCullough said of other CPD officers. “I know there’s at least a handful of officers that have these devices or something similar.”
