Grange Notes by Tim Swartz, Grange President (with everyone’s help) February 21, 2025
February 1st Grange meeting
The Grange does have a savings CD which matures in February. We voted to purchase another to gain a higher interest rate when that matures, but did decide to move some of the proceeds of the maturing CD into our Savings account to cover future needs. One of those needs may be contributing to ventilation improvements, for which the Friends of the Capital City Grange Hall are applying for grants this spring.
We have much to celebrate this year, including the 20th anniversary of the time in 2005 when 70 new members joined our Grange, as well as paying off the loan we got from the VT State Grange, which allowed us to add the ADA entrance, and the ADA bathroom on the main floor of the Hall! We still appreciate that the State Grange was prepared to take the risk of loaning money to our Grange, which had a majority of “new Grangers” in its membership.
We especially invite newer members who aren’t familiar with the protocol and ritual of the Grange meeting to come to this meeting. We will run the meeting with the simplified ritual that we have been using since 2009. We use this to provide a structure for a productive meeting, and to keep us connected to the traditions of the “Patrons of Husbandry”, which was founded in 1867. Come check it out! There will be a Zoom link available, which I will post on the event link for the meeting, on the Grange website Calendar, for those who are unable to attend in person.
We’ll also have the monthly Community Potluck after the meeting, from 6:00 to about 7:00. It’s a tasty place to eat, and we hope you’ll join us!
Life-saving training at the Grange!
Our Feb. 1 Grange meeting was followed by a training session in “Hands-Only CPR + AED use“, which brought in about a dozen people to take part, plus the nine Grange members who were there. Our teacher, Nick Strance, from the American Heart Association stressed the importance of calling 9-1-1, and then being willing to start this simple process right away after cardiac arrest occurs. He shared statistics about how using CPR can provide vital blood circulation, and some aeration of the blood as well, and can literally keep someone alive until EMTs can arrive. According to the statistics Nick showed us, the average wait time for an ambulance to arrive in Central VT is 15 to 20 minutes–and CPR and AED use needs to start in the first few minutes to increase the chance of survival until then.
Nick also demonstrated the AED that the Grange has, showing how it literally instructs the user how to apply the pads, tells you to allow the unit to diagnose heart rhythms, and–only if needed–how it will instruct everyone to move back while it delivers a shock that can help the heart start beating at the right rhythm. After the shock, the AED also tells the rescuer to begin CPR again, and even provides the correct rhythm in which to do the chest compressions. Nick demonstrated (on a manikin) how to position your weight above the chest and press down hard, and to keep up the beat to make the CPR effective.
Then the “trainees” clustered around the eight training manikins, and took turns pushing down on their chests, hard enough to make them “click”. You can get an idea of the effort involved in the photo to the left. Nick played “Stayin’ Alive”, which has the correct cadence (about 100-120 beats per minute) to pump blood around the body and brain, and to bring some air into the lungs.
This simple training is designed to give us confidence to do what’s necessary to save a life. Having the hands-on practice on a manikin is the best way to get a feel for how simple it could be to keep someone going until the EMTs arrive.
You can read more about these courses, and other information at the AHA’s handsonlycpr website. You’ll also find a link to a Spotify playlist of songs that have the right beats per minute for CPR. The playlist, called “Don’t Drop the Beat”, includes songs at the 100-120 beats per minute rhythm! Everything from “Stayin’ Alive” to “Walk the Line”–check them out, too.
As at our previous training in December, several people expressed serious interest in a longer training in CPR, AED use and even First Aid training, that would supply them with certification that is needed by teachers and others. We are pursuing setting up this sort of training session. If you are interested, please email Tim, and I’ll put your name and email address on the list to be notified when we are able to schedule this type of training, which will require payment of a fee for certification.
FCCGH: upgrading our air-filtering
On Feb. 18th, we took delivery of a new, commercial air-purifying unit, which was purchased for the Grange Hall by the Friends of the Capital City Grange Hall. The purpose of this addition is to provide filtration of the air in either the Main Hall or the Lower Level, at a much lower noise level than the existing “Room Air Filtration Boxes” (or RAFBs) which we built during the pandemic.
Our experience with the RAFBs is that Hall users have not been willing to turn them on, because the level of noise that they put out is enough to be disruptive for music rehearsals, quiet meetings, etc. We believe that we need to continue to make air quality improvements, even though we don’t currently have a “pandemic” situation. Right now, for example, there are reports of relatively high levels of influenza (“flu”), colds and other respiratory viruses in Vermont. During the cold-weather months, it is not realistic to expect Hall users to open windows (except for the very hot contra dance crowds!). While the Friends continue to seek grant funding to help us install outside-air ventilation with pre-heating, we will also need to continue to purify indoor air to maintain good air quality inside.
This purchase was made possible by anonymous donors to the FCCGH, which combined with finding an “demo unit” that the manufacturer was willing to sell for a well-discounted price, made it possible to purchase this Iso-Aire RSF1000. It can put out twice as much clean air as two of the RAFBs, with about 1/2 as much noise as one RAFB makes. Mounted on casters, it can be moved to either floor of the Grange Hall. It has a 24″ x 24″ x 12″ HEPA 99.99% filter, plus a pre-filter, and utilizes an extremely well-designed and well-balanced fan to move air quietly. Please come and listen to it! And join us in thanking the generous donors who made this possible. We will be moving it from one floor to another depending on where the biggest need is–the pictures below show the one unit in two different locations. Note also the AED location in the Main Hall shelves!
