Health Blog Q&A: Black Friday Edition

The Mall of America opened at 5:00 this morning, and 150,000 red-blooded consumers will tromp through the Minnesota retail behemoth before the day’s over. Sounds like the heart of Black Friday to us.

So we asked Doug Reynolds, the mall’s director of security and the guy who’s responsible for handling medical emergencies there, what kind of health issues he’ll be looking out for today. Here are the highlights of a conversation we had on Wednesday.

Do you worry about the cold when you have people standing around outside before the mall opens?

It is a little cool out, but were tough people in Minnesota. We like to stand out there and talk about how cold it is.

So what kind of health issues do you think will come up?

If you take any 150,000 people, you’re going to have medical concerns. It can range from diabetic reactions to people who arent in the shape they thought they were for walking around all day. It’s 4.2 million square feet. A lot of people think, “I can get in and get out in an hour and get my shopping done.” Realistically, you need to commit a day at least.

Sometimes people say someone is mentally incapacitated in some way. One time our officers knew somebody was passed out and they thought it was a diabetic reaction. When they got there the person came to and was very combative. He was a large person, very combative, and he ended up tossing some of our officers around.

What’s the most serious health issue you deal with?

We use AEDs [Automated Extertnal Defibrillators, used to give an emergency jolt to a failing heart]. We probably hook people up to them six times a year and actually deliver a shock three times a year.

We train in basic first aid, and each officer is trained and tested in CPR, AEDs, blood-borne pathogens and rendering a scene safe. We do work with the local ambulance service. They have put an ambulance at the mall [on Black Friday] in years past. We are going to ask them if theyd like to come over on Friday, and invited them over for lunch if theyd like to.

Do you have any health tips for shoppers?

When youre walking, carry a little moleskin. Have appropriate footwear. You see people, especially on Black Friday, stopping and rubbing their feet.

When you come to a place like this or any other big place, have a plan. Have emergency contact numbers, have cell phone numbers of those youre traveling with. One thing we see is parents will say to their kids, “Go have fun.” Right after they leave theyll say, “What was the plan for getting back together again?”