Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
A local ambulance squad chief recently was recently recognized by the American Heart Association.
Levittown-Fairless Hills Rescue Squad Chief Christopher Reif was awarded the Distinguished Achievement Award by the association’s Great Rivers Affiliate, which covers Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky.
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Reif has been working closely in his role as chief with the American Heart Association for legislative changes in the Good Samaritan law. The changes would protect civilian and business owners in reducing liability if CPR is begun on a person in cardiac arrest, according to a release from the squad.
The emergency service squad recent began Operation Push Hard, Push Fast, a new outreach to train the local business community how to perform CPR. According to a post from the squad, the program was started after crews lost a patient recently who went into cardiac arrest in a large area retail store. The post notes that none of the store’s staff was aware the patient heart had stopped and failed to start CPR.
The chief is also part of a Mission: Lifeline, a program created by the American Heart Association to reduce missed opportunities for appropriate heart attack treatments.
Chris Reif is a volunteer for the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline initiative and Advocacy efforts, and an EMS professional with years of experience working directly with patients, hospitals and community agencies to improve timely access to care. He is President at Bucks County EMS Chiefs’ Association and Chief of Operations at Levittown Fairless Hills Rescue Squad. And he was once a Flight Paramedic at University of Pennsylvania Health System. He engaged in achieving clinical successes including partnerships with regional PCI and stroke centers resulting in Improved ‘recognition-to-reperfusion’ times and development of a STEMI alert process with stakeholders at regional PCI centers. And instrumental in the development of a comprehensive approach to acute stroke care that includes EMS resulting in increased tPA administration at regional stroke centers. Created and implemented on-going child seat safety campaign in partnership with PA Trauma Injury Prevention Project. Mr. Reif supported advocacy efforts around supporting legislation that would provide Good Samaritan protections for AED program facilitators and bystanders performing CPR and first aid. He was very passionate around this issue and in turn educated leadership at Second Alarmers about the legislation and generated enough interest to enlist the organizations support. Second Alarmers service area includes Senator Greenleaf’s district, who is the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee where Senate Bill 351 was referred to, and the most influential person we needed to get to support the bill. As a result of Chris’s passion and leadership, Second Alarmer’s quickly became an advocate for AHA in support of SB 351 with Senator Greenleaf. They attended a meeting with Senator Greenleaf’s Chief of Staff and periodically had conversations with staff to remind them of the bill. Senate Bill 351 is nowa law in Pennsylvania (Act 125 of 2012). Chris’s passion and advocacy amongst his own leadership helped gain momentum in the Senate to get the bill moving. Furthermore, Mr. Reif was one of many voices supporting the Danny McIntosh legislation recently signed by President Barack Obama that will allow families of volunteer and non-municipal working for emergency medical service unit to receive federal death benefits if they are killed in the line of duty. Mr. Reif was quoted saying “this law gives us the opportunity to right a wrong.” Chris Reif is a volunteer for the AHA and has been for several years especially with Mission: Lifeline and Advocacy efforts.
