Creating the Largest Rescue Force in New Mexico

Critical life threats such as sudden cardiac arrest, overdose, and severe bleeding require swift intervention within minutes to save lives. What if a city could leverage its largest group of employees—the entire municipal workforce—to create the largest “rescue force” in the entire state?

That’s what happened in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

During the 2022 Gathering of Eagles conference in Hollywood, Florida, Kimberly Pruett, MD, medical director of Albuquerque Fire Rescue, described a progressive initiative launched in 2019 that trains the entire cohort of city employees—transit workers, maintenance employees, law enforcement, and more—on CPR, AED, choking, and bleeding control.

The program started with the vision of Albuquerque Fire Rescue following a 2017 decree by New Mexico’s governor that required local and state law enforcement agencies to carry naloxone. Seizing an opportunity, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller mandated that all 17,000 of the city’s employees be trained on lifesaving techniques.

The city’s Lifesaver course teaches skills to save as many lives as possible in the event of an active shooter or other direct threat situation, administer hands-only CPR, use an AED, and reverse the effects of opioid overdose. Employees receive hands-on training in dynamic scenarios with paramedics and EMTs from Albuquerque Fire Rescue.

Course objectives include:

• Empower participants to save the lives of the wounded;
• Obtain a basic understanding of anatomy as it pertains to bleeding control; 
• Be able to identify life-threatening injuries; 
• Understand and apply basic bleeding control measures;
• Understand and apply basic airway and breathing techniques;
• Be able to recognize and prevent hypothermia;
• Save their own life using their new knowledge;
• Understand and perform hands-only CPR;
• Understand and use an AED;
• Be able to recognize an opioid overdose and administer the antidote.

As one example, the city’s Community Safety team, primarily staffed by social workers, patrols the streets to serve the needs of the city’s underserved population. All team members are equipped with naloxone, AEDs, and Stop the Bleed kits to respond to emergencies as they arise. All city vehicles have lifesaving kits on board, said Pruett.

Over 130 high school students have received training so far, said Pruett, who shared real-life success stories of saves from employees who had received training through the program.

“This is very doable,” Pruett old her audience. “I would encourage you to do it if you can.”