fema, save-a-life foundation, internal e-mails (11/06) + subsequent correspondence

8/14/2019 FEMA, Save-A-Life Foundation, internal e-mails (11/06) + subsequent correspondence

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rm!^m--fc.


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doing an investigative reporting series on Save-A-Ltfe. It was notpretty! M6> had to get his boss away from the camera.

Jim

James DuncanDirector,National Preparedness DivisionDHS-FEMA Region V536 S Clark Street, 6th FloorChicago, IL 906QS

(b)(6)

(b)(6) redacted name is Vince Davis, former Save-A-LifeDirector of Military Affairs


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From: | (b>(

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Sent: Monday. November 20, 2008 1:51 PMTo: (b)(6)Subject: ABC7Chicago.com:The Maneuver

jim opoka sent you this fromABC7Chicago.com link:The ManeuverThe Heimlich has become a brand name, like the Band-Aid. Dr. Henry Heimlich claims to haveinvented the technique in which you stand behind a choking victim, wrap your arms around them andpull sharply on their lower abdomen,Dr. Heimlich is medical advisor for a suburban Chicago charity called the Save-A-Ufe Foundation.

Questions are being raised about both Heimlich and the founder of Save-A-Ufe, Carol Spizzirri.http://abctocai.go.com/wls/story?section=loca(&id=:4774369

Comments:

Log on to ABC7 Chicago -http://abc7chicago.com.

Jim OpokaRegional Program Manager

U.S. Department of Homeland SecurityPreparedness Directorate

Office of Community Preparedness - Citizen Corpsc/o FEMA Region V536 South Clark Street

Chicago, Illinois 60605

i
http://abc7chicago.com/http://abc7chicago.com/http://abc7chicago.com/http://abc7chicago.com/http://abctocai.go.com/wlhttp://abctocai.go.com/wlhttp://abc7chicago.com/http://abc7chicago.com/http://abctocai.go.com/wlhttp://abc7chicago.com/http://abc7chicago.com/


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Office of Grant* and TrainingDirectorate for PreparednessDepartment of Homeland SecurityWashington, DC 20HI

HomelandSecurity

Ms. Carol Spizzirri, President

Save-A-Lifc Foundation, Inc.O'Hare Aerospace Center

9950 West Lawrence Avenue, Suite 300 fb 1Schiller Park, IL 60176-1216

Dear Ms. Spizzirri:

It has come to the attention of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that allegations ofmisrepresentation have been raised in the public media concerning the Save-A-Life Foundation(SALF). Specifically, these allegations relate to your educational qualifications and the teachingmethods used by SALF. Other allegations have been made relating to SALF's business practicesand advisory board.

On January 23,2003, DHS entered into a Statement of Affiliation (SOA) with SALF to promotecommunity preparedness and life safety as a formal Affiliate of the Citizen Corps Program. Thedecision to enter into the SOA was based in part on information provided by you and SALFwhich has now been brought into question by these allegations. Therefore, DHS requests thatyou respond to these allegations and provide documentary support, where available, which

demonstrates that the allegations are incorrect.

Details of the allegations can befoundin media reports available on the internet. You can read

one such report athttp://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?sectton=investigative&id=4770490.

Please provide a response to the allegations by March 15,2007, or as soon as is practicable, soDHS can determine if any action needs to be taken with respect to the extant SOA.

Further, some of your recent publications have featured the DHS seal. Permission for non-DHSentities to use the seal must come from the Secretary for Homeland Security. Absent suchpermission, please ensure that future SALF publications do not employ the DHS seal. You maycontinue to represent your organization as an Affiliate of Citizen Corps and display the CitizenCorps logo.

Sincerely,

cElizabeth DiCregono

Acting Director, Office of Community Preparedness
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?sectton=investigative&id=4770490http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?sectton=investigative&id=4770490


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U.S. Deparrment ofHomeland Security

Washington. DC 20528

HomelandSecurity

MAR 2 S 2007

Ms. Carol Spizzirri, PresidentSave-A-Life Foundation, Inc.O'Hare Aerospace Center9950 West Lawrence Avenue, Suite 300Schiller Park, Illinois 60176-1216

Dear Ms. Spizzirri:

Thank you for your February 28,2007, response to the Department of Homeland Security(Department) which requested information regarding the allegations reported by theChicago ABC local station in November, 2006.

There are still a few questions remaining which require clarification as they impact yourAffiliate relationship with the Department:

Nursing credentials. Your response states that errors have been corrected regardingyour claim that you hold nursing credentials. The biography submitted by you inNovember, 2003, which accompanied the Save A Life (SALF) Affiliate application

package stated that you have a Bachelor of Science in NursingfromMt ScenarioCollege, Wisconsin, and that you are a registered nurse. This claim is disputed bymediareports.The Department requests clarification as to your educational andprofessional status. That is, do you have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from an

accredited institution, and are you or have you been a Registered Nurse? If not whydid you claim such credentials in your biography? '

National Prevailing Guidelines: The Department recognizes that the issuessurrounding the development of prevailing guidelines are complex. We have made apreliminary inquiry to the American Red Cross (ARC)regardingtheir currentprotocols and to the United States Fire Administration (USFA) staff who follow thedevelopment of these national standards. Thefirstaid protocol for a consciouschoking adult or child in theAmerican RedCross 2005 Guidelines forEmergencyCare andEducation is five back blows followed by five abdominal thrusts. Thespecific instructions are "Lean the personforwardand give five back blows with theheel of your hand. (Next) Give 5 quick upward abdominal thrusts." Additionalinformation from the ARC indicates that this protocol is consistent with protocolsoutlined by other international organizations based on the 2005 InternationalConsensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Emergency Cardiovascular


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Care (ECC) Science with Treatment Recommendations (CoSTR) representing the

scientific consensus of experts from a variety of countries, cultures, and disciplines.

The USFA indicates that the national Emergency Medical Services (EMS) guidelines

from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - Emergency MedicalServices (NHTSA-EMS) division references current ARC and/or American HeartAssociation (AHA) guidelines when conducting EMS training courses As youknow, NHTSA-EMS is responsibleforthe national guidelines for EMS training andhas been adopted by most State EMS training programs. USFA advises that sinceindications are that both the ARC and AHA are adopting the "five and five"procedure, the prevailing guideline will become thefive-and-fiveprocedure TheDepartment's Office for Community Preparedness is also following up with AHAregarding their current guidelines and plans for updates to those guidelines.

In your response you state that SALF programs "will be based upon the same nationalprevailing guidelines.. ..and when or if these national prevailing guidelines change,

toe organizationwill review and consider such changes." [f the guidelines ofARC,AHA and/or NHTSA-EMS change as expected to the "five-and-five procedure," doesfcALF intend to change its organization's curriculum to comply with the newstandards?

Training Presence: You indicated in your response that more than 1.6 millioncfcldren participated in SALF programs. The Department requests a summary of theStates where these children received the training. As you may recall during initialconversations in November 2003 between SALF and FEMA, there was concern thatSALF had a limited, regional reach. The Departmentrequestsdocumentation todemonstrate that SALF has grown into a national presence that offers life supportinafirst aid training to at least 50 percent of the States.

We would appreciate your assistance in responding to these inquiries in a timely mannerPlease forward your response to Mr. Alan Fisher, Senior Attorney, Office of Grants &Training no later than April 30,2007.

Sincerely,


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Carol J. SpizzirriFomder/Presideru


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FEMASTATEMENT OF AFFILIATION

BETWEEN

THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY

AND THE SAVE A LI FE FOUNDATION

I'he Federal Emergency Management Agency III VIA I and the Save A Life Foundation ISA1.1-1 \ icu

community emergency preparedness as a lop priority for their respective organizations and lor the American

people. As such, our organizations have come together in partnership to promote the mission ofCitizen Corps.

with an emphasis on training citizen respondcrs as immediate providers of life supporting first aid.

Under FEMA'S direction, Citizen Corps is a community-based initiative to engage all citizens in homeland

security and community and family preparedness ihrough public education and outreach, training opportunities.

and volunteer programs. Programs under the Citizen Corps umbrella help communities prevent, prepare for.

and respond to terrorism, crime, public health issues, and disasters ofall kinds. Citizen Corps encourages all

Americans to take an active role in building safer, stronger, and better-prepared communities.

1 he SALF is a nalional non-profit organization that seeks to train the public in Life Supporting l-'irst Aid (LSFA).

including the Heimlich maneuver. Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPRi. and ihe use of Automated External

Dclibrillators (AIDs) in order to prepare all citizens, especially children, lor emergencies, accidents or disasters.

whether man-made or natural.

together FEMA and SALF agree to work in collaborative partnership to:

r Raise public awareness about training in life supporting first aid;

> Promote the formation of local Citizen Corps Councils and assist these Councils w till providing citizen

training in emergency preparedness and life supporting first aid. including Community Emergency

Response learn (CERT) training and Bystander Basics:

r Encourage communities lo develop local strategies lor public health education and training opportunities

of age-appropriate life supporting first aid for school children:

r Support the expansion ofvital Public Access Delibrillation (PAD) programs, in conjunction with CPR

training:

> Publicly acknowledge the affiliation ofCitizen Corps and SALF. which w ill include website links, co-

logos on publications, and references in printed materials:

#- Coordinate their respective activities to further their shared mission: and

> Keep FEMA informed of activities conducted in support of Citizen Corps and provide an annual repon

summarizing those activities.

Both parlies enter into this agreement in good faith and agree to pursue their missions as slated

citizen^corps

/f-fV-T.-?'-

JOE M A L L B A U G H

DI*CCTOI FIOKRAi. fr,.".rs.-. MANAOCMBH1

CAROL J. Sf>LjZkrtBlPIOBNT/FOIINOEB SVG * LlF* TOUNOATION

fema, save-a-life foundation, internal e-mails (11/06) + subsequent correspondence

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