While Gatemen players are arriving in town, Gatemen interns received a health and safety lesson by Plymouth County District Attorney Cruz on Tuesday. They were both CPR and AED trained in addition to learning skills on how to stop a person from choking and the different techniques to use on a child or infant.
Interns filled out a survey gauging how much they knew about rapid-response protocols before the training, and then received a 45-minute training session on multiple techniques that can help temporarily save a life before first responders arrive at the scene.
“I think people need to know the basic CPR and basic issues that are out there, that we're going to really walk into on a day-to-day basis,” Cruz said. “Things can happen, and they can happen anywhere. If you have your basic training, you might be a lifesaver for somebody.”
After the event, Wareham interns received emergency response kits with naloxone for emergency treatment of opioid overdose, a CPR mask, and multiple bleeding-control devices. They also completed a post-training survey to show department officials the effectiveness of teaching rapid response methods.
“I think it's really important that all of the members of the organization are prepared, just in case of an emergency,” Wareham general manager Jay Spinale said. “We would anticipate having anywhere from 1200 to 2500 fans on any given night, and if anyone does have an emergency we want to be prepared. And it's really nice to have all of our intern group trained and prepared.”
This training session isn’t the only time that Cruz will help out the Gatemen this summer. He sponsors First Responders’ Night, honoring all of the men and women who provide emergency assistance to the community. He invites first responders to the annual event and buys pregame meals for them as an extra token of gratitude.
“The First Responders’ Night is something that's near and dear to my heart, and Wareham is the only Plymouth County team in the Cape Cod League,” Cruz said. “It's just really saying thank you to the men and the women who put on the glue of EMS, the first responders and fire departments that make a difference in all of our lives.”
But perhaps Cruz’s biggest impact in the Wareham community is by helping the children. He helps sponsor Literacy Night at Spillane Field and the Gatemen’s youth clinics that run in the mornings from late June to late July. He understands the importance of a child’s physical and mental growth over the summer.
“He is a big advocate of this team, and that really helps us with our approach to the kids that we've had,” Spinale said. “I think about 200 kids every summer would attend our camps, and it just makes such a huge difference that we have somebody like that who cares about kids in the community. He wants to see them go into the clinics.”
While a good chunk of Cruz’s time is spent in Washington, D.C., his active effort to give back to the community and make a difference has been evident through his partnership with the Wareham Gatemen. Like most Plymouth Country residents, he is excited to have Gatemen baseball back in just a few days.
