Last updated: November 2, 2026
Tina Buck stayed with a Wilson Elementary student after he could breathe again. The boy had been chewing gum when he took a drink of water. He made a distressed sound, and when Buck asked whether he could breathe, he shook his head. The Granite City school board’s October 27 agenda says she used abdominal thrusts to clear his airway and reassured him until someone escorted him to the school nurse. RiverBender reported that the board recognized Buck at the meeting.
A second entry in the agenda concerns a different student. Laura Cell, who works with the high school’s transition program, was at lunch with students visiting SWIC’s Manufacturing Day when a student choked. The district credits her with using abdominal thrusts. The board papers do not identify what blocked the student’s airway or who took over afterward. October 27 was the meeting date. Neither emergency is dated.
At Wilson, Buck stayed with the student until it was time for the handoff to the nurse. On a field trip, even the address for a 911 call may be unfamiliar. The host’s name on an itinerary may tell a parent where the class has gone without telling an ambulance crew which entrance to use.
FITIGER’s product safety team suggests a short check before a school trip. Ask one adult to find the address on the itinerary without help. Ask a second to say who will meet responders and who will stay with the other students. If both adults expect the same person to do both jobs, settle it before lunch. Keep the names beside the address, where a volunteer can find them without unpacking an anti choking kit.
The district describes what Buck and Cell did. For severe choking in the United States, call 911 promptly or have another adult call while first aid begins. If the child is coughing forcefully, encourage coughing and stay close. For a responsive child with severe obstruction, the American Heart Association and American Academy of Pediatrics advise repeated cycles of five back blows and five abdominal thrusts until the object clears or the child becomes unresponsive. For a responsive infant, give five back blows followed by five chest thrusts. If the child becomes unresponsive, start CPR, beginning with chest compressions, and follow the dispatcher’s instructions. Remove an object from the mouth only if it is visible. The AHA directs rescuers to its adult guidance for people who show signs of puberty.
The pediatric guidelines say there is too little evidence to recommend a suction device for choking in infants or children. Looking for equipment must never delay the emergency call or established first aid.
In an August 2025 customer account published by FITIGER, Michael Bennett of Phoenix described adding a device to his household emergency checklist and supply box. Bennett was describing his own supplies. At school, an administrator looking into an anti choking device for schools can hand the trip sheet to the adult carrying the bag and ask who will call 911. The person named in the campus plan may be back at school that day.
FITIGER’s public usability summary describes a manufacturer-supplied FoldPumpVac FAC02 evaluation with 15 lay rescuers and 15 healthcare professionals. They performed simulated handling tasks, including equipment preparation and mask selection. The evaluation did not measure how quickly an adult at an unfamiliar lunch venue will reach a pupil, call for help or find the right door.
If a school already carries a portable choking rescue device, keep its model-specific instructions with it. The FoldPumpVac Home Kit and EasyPumpVac Travel Kit have separate listings. Neither school account reports the use of either product. On the trip sheet, leave a place to record who took over care and what the chaperone told them.
