MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Our client on this project was the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which we do a good amount of work for every year. Within NHTSA, this project involved both their Office of EMS and National 911 Program, with support coming from Health and Human Services’ EMS for Children Program. The CPR LifeLinks initiative was a  collaborative effort with two outside partners – Resurgent Biomedical Consulting and the University of Arizona. Working together as one team, we had one critical mission – to improve sudden cardiac arrest survival rates nationwide through the implementation of high-performance CPR (HP-CPR) in EMS systems and telecommunicator CPR (T-CPR) in 911 agencies.

We worked with our partners to create resources for EMS and 911 to implement these practices. The largest component of that effort was facilitating the development of an implementation toolkit, which serves as a holistic resource for EMS and 911 agencies. This 90-page document includes case studies, performance recommendations, staff training guidance, and more. We additionally orchestrated the creation of multiple case studies and PowerPoint decks for both training and educational purposes. 

We also needed to get the word out that these resources exist and encourage EMS and 911 to explore them. That’s where the communication plan came in – we built out a comprehensive strategy to promote CPR LifeLinks. Those efforts included a number of press release announcements, microsite, and a pair of videos, to name a few.

I was involved in branding the initiative –  naming and logo creation. I also touched different pieces of that project from the layout/design of the implementation toolkit to promotional efforts that included work on the press release announcements and development of the two videos – one that was live-action and another that was animated.

Working on the videos was particularly fun. Each one was distinct and had its own purpose. The live-action video was heart-warming and told an emotional save story that explained the “why” of CPR LifeLinks – why it exists. The animated video focused on the “how” – how agencies can implement these practices and use the contents of the implementation toolkit.

For the live-action video, I traveled to Bend, Oregon, with my RedFlash colleague Kristen Williams, a videographer, and a sound expert. Our goal was to capture the save story of a young boy who stopped breathing and was resuscitated by his mom with the help of T-CPR. With Kristen leading the charge, we conducted interviews with a 911 call center, a fire department and the family of a little boy who had stopped breathing. All interviewees were all directly involved in the 911 call made by the boy’s parents. We also shot b-roll in the fire station, 911 center, and around Bend to help tell the story. It was a fantastic experience and so rewarding to see the video come to life in post-production.

Being really good storytellers and having a strong subject matter expertise in the industry made this an ideal project for RedFlash. On top of that, we value projects that make a difference. So, I think this hit the sweet spot for us. All of the work we did on CPR LifeLinks is ultimately in pursuit of saving more lives from sudden cardiac arrest.

It was emotional. I’m new to the public safety industry and it was really rewarding to see what these stations and centers look like and meet the people who make them run. It was clear how much they care about what they do.

RedFlash trusted our creative vision to bring this video to life during our time in Bend. There were long days, but those were also fun and rewarding days. I hope we did the story justice with the final product.

I remember hearing that a 911 call dispatcher with more than 20 years of experience on the job said she saw it on social media and it “brought a tear to her eye.” We were told that another supervisor started using the video in a training presentation, since it brought home the vital importance of proper training in all 911 work. The client also shared with us that the video was resonating with a lot of people.

I actually just celebrated my one-year anniversary with RedFlash. It’s great to be surrounded by leaders and colleagues who care about work that has a positive impact. That’s a true company value here, not just talk. We get to work on projects that help save lives.

Flexibility is also a big bonus here. Some peers who worked on this particular project had young kids at home. RedFlash’s consideration of those needs let them give true attention to both work and home life.

I’ll also add that RedFlash is really comfortable admitting what we don’t know. We embrace working with subcontractors who offer expertise that we don’t possess – yet. This open, collaborative spirit has resulted in us developing longstanding relationships with some very talented people outside our own crew. It also offers us all an opportunity to learn a lot more and grow as professionals and people.

Honest. Because we’re happy to admit who we are, who we’re not, and what we need to work on. We’re growing and always looking to be better than we were yesterday – whether that’s the work we produce or the culture we’re building.