Arrow Safety

06/12/2026

This week, two members of our team were at Schneider Electric in Lexington, KY to conduct multiple Industrial Incident Command refresher training sessions for their Emergency Response Team (ERT)!

During these trainings, Sammy Stotts and John Karshner used their prior Fire/EMS experience to lead multiple engaging sessions across multiple shifts, discussing SE's site-specific emergency action plans, NIMS and the basic ICS structure, effective radio communications, and the applicable requirements of NFPA 1550.

In the pictures shown, Sammy is showing ERT members the proper use of their glucometer to check a patient's blood sugar, while John walks students through proper patient assessments during a medical emergency. Students are also shown using the site's accountability board to track the progress of ERT members during facility sweeps.

Multiple site-specific exercises were conducted to ensure the ERT members were prepared to "take charge" during a variety of site-specific emergencies, including, but not limited to:
• Medical emergencies, including diabetic emergencies, chest pain, and crush injuries/amputations;
• Fires;
• Workplace violence;
• Bomb threats;
• Incidental chemical spills/leaks/releases;
• Severe weather; and
• Technical rescues (e.g., confined space rescue)

Thanks again to Schneider Electric for continuing to trust us with your safety training needs!

Barren Inc.

06/11/2026

Every now and then, we get to work at some pretty cool places for some pretty cool companies. Today was one of those days. 🚀

Barren Inc.

06/08/2026

So awesome! Thanks to each one of our customers, we were able to donate $4,666.30 to WHAS Crusade for Children this year!

100% of each donation helps children with special needs throughout Kentucky and Indiana. Each year, we contribute a percentage of all sales to this great organization. To date, we've been blessed to be able to donate nearly $20,000 to Crusade since we started our business 6 years ago! Praise God!

Barren Inc.

GRAND TOTAL!!! $6,235,132.67!!! 100% for the kids!!!

06/07/2026

Have a blessed week! ✝️🙏🏻

06/06/2026

It's Crusade Weekend! 💙✨️

​It is time for the 73rd annual WHAS Crusade for Children, and we have an incredible opportunity to make a massive difference right here in our own backyard.

​For over 70 years, the Crusade for Children has been changing lives by providing critical funding for schools, hospitals, and agencies that serve children with special needs. From specialized medical equipment to life-changing therapy programs, 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐠𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐤𝐢𝐝𝐬.

​The best part? The money raised stays local, helping children all across Kentucky—including right here in Glasgow! Last year, the Crusade awarded $84,000 to facilities directly serving Glasgow and Barren County:
• T.J. Regional Health: $70,000
• Barren County Schools: $14,000

​If you're able to give, your tax-deductible donation will bring hope, resources, and smiles to children who need it most.

​📢 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞:
​We’ve made it super easy to give this year! You can make your tax-deductible contribution in one of two ways:
​📱 𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐦𝐨: Send your donation directly to
💻 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞: Head over to www.whascrusade.org and click the "Donate" button.

​⚠️ 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: To make sure our local community gets credited, please remember to type "Arrow Safety (Glasgow, KY)" in the comment section right before you submit your payment!

​No donation is too small. Together, we can build a brighter, more accessible future for Kentucky’s kids. Please share this post, spread the word, and let's show the Crusade the power of Glasgow's generosity!

Barren Inc.

​

06/05/2026

It's CPR and AED Awareness Week, so let's discuss the difference between a heart attack and a cardiac arrest. One requires CPR, while the other doesn't. But, which one is it?

A heart attack is a blockage of blood flow in your heart. Think of it as a plumbing problem. Something (such as cholesterol) is physically blocking blood from being able to flow freely through the heart's arteries. If blood can't flow through the heart, heart muscle begins to die, leading to the textbook symptoms of a heart attack, such as chest pain or discomfort, shortness of breath, or pain that radiates to other parts of the body, such as the jaw, neck, back, or shoulder. A heart attack can last anywhere from a few minutes to several hours.

Cardiac arrest, on the other hand, is an electrical problem. Your heart's electrical rhythm has gone "haywire" into one of two arrhythmias: pulseless ventricular tachycardia (V-Tach) or ventricular fibrillation (V-Fib). Cardiac arrest is almost instantaneous, so once your heart goes into either V-Tach or V-Fib, it won't be long until the person is unconscious and unresponsive.

𝐒𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐏𝐑 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐄𝐃?

If it's a "true" heart attack, then the person is still conscious and responsive, so CPR and/or an AED is not needed (yet). Since they're still "alive" at this point, and even though there may be prominent heart attack symptoms present, you need to call 911 so that the person can be transported immediately to the hospital's ER, where they will typically look at a combination of the patient's medical history, physical symptoms, and other diagnostic tests (ECG, blood tests, and/or cardiac cath) to determine if a heart attack is (or has) occurred.

If left untreated, however, a heart attack is one of the leading causes of cardiac arrest, so conditions can quickly change, requiring different treatment(s).

Cardiac arrest, specifically, is what requires CPR and the use of an AED. Chest compressions and artificial ventilations can help temporarily restore oxygenated blood flow throughout the body to buy you some time until advanced medical providers can take over. Always call 911 if you suspect a person is in cardiac arrest.

An AED will only treat two specific cardiac rhythms (V-Fib & V-Tach), so we always connect an AED so it can analyze the patient and determine if a shock is needed. If the AED says "No Shock Advised", it means the patient's heart has a non-shockable rhythm (e.g., asystole ["flatline"], pulseless electrical activity [PEA]) that a shock simply won't fix.

In essence, an AED is designed to stop the crazy, chaotic rhythm - not restart the heart. This means that, contrary to popular belief and your favorite medical shows on TV (e.g., Chicago Med, Grey's Anatomy), you can't shock "flatline". If there's nothing to stop (V-Fib or V-Tach), then there's nothing to shock.

Have questions? Let us know in the comments! 👇🏻

Barren Inc. HSI

06/01/2026

Recently, we conducted a Confined Space Entry training course for R&R Fabrication in Brownsville, KY!

During this training, students reviewed applicable requirements within OSHA's 1910 and 1926 confined space standards, NFPA 350, ANSI Z117.1, and site-specific company policies/procedures.

Crews were requires to demonstrate various responsibilities, including, but not limited to:
• Assemy, disasssembly, and use of the CMC Triskelion tripod and DBI/Sala Salilift II winch;
• Performing air monitoring using various gas detection equipment;
• Implementing positive- and negative-pressure ventilation, as well as calculating purge times based on varying air changes per hour;
• Completing entry permits;
• Performing non-entry rescue using a rescue pole;
• Performing hazard identification and assessments; and
• MUCH MORE!

Thanks to R&R for continuing to trust us with all of your safety training needs!

Barren Inc. CMC: Rescue, Safety, Access

05/29/2026

Today is respirator fit test day at Sister Schubert's Homemade Rolls in Horse Cave, KY!

One of the common errors we see done by Fit Test Administrators is allowing the person to sit during the fit test. If you look at 29 CFR 1910.134 Appendix A, at the beginning of each test exercise, it states "In a normal standing position..." or "Standing in place...".

In addition, OSHA also states that the fit test shall be performed while the test subject is wearing any applicable safety equipment that may be worn during actual respirator use which could interfere with respirator fit. For example, if the employee is required to wear a hard hat with chin straps or anything similar, then that needs to be worn during the fit test.

The other major issue we see is allowing test subjects to fit test with facial hair that interferes with the respirator's sealing surface. 29 CFR 1910.134 Appendix A states "The test shall not be conducted if there is ANY hair growth between the skin and the facepiece sealing surface, such as stubble beard growth, beard, mustache or sideburns which cross the respirator sealing surface." Could a person pass a fit test with facial hair (even sometimes a full beard)? It's very possible. 𝐇𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬:
• EVERY negative-pressure tight fitting respirator leaks. Unless the respirator was custom made for your face at the time of the fit test, then the respirator will leak 100% of the time. OSHA's fit factors tell you "this is how much leakage you can have".
• Although your fit test is conducted in a controlled (and often cool) environment, when you're actually wearing the respirator as part of your job, you're likely to start sweating and moving in different positions other than what's conducted during the fit test. Even if you pass a fit test with facial hair, 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 - 𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠.

OSHA states that "The employer shall not permit respirators with tight-fitting facepieces to be worn by employees who have facial hair that comes between the sealing surface of the facepiece and the face or that interferes with valve function." If the employer is allowing the workers to shave prior to the fit test, then allowing them to grow their facial hair back out as soon as the fit test is over, then they're failing their employees.

𝐈𝐟 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭-𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 - 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭.

Are your respirators fit tests being conducted in accordance with OSHA's standards?

What other fit test administrative errors have you seen? Let us know in the comments! 👇🏻

Barren Inc. TSI Incorporated

05/28/2026

🎉 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦! 🎉

We are thrilled to introduce John Karshner, who joins us as our newest Safety Specialist!

John brings an incredible depth of real-world emergency response and safety expertise to our team. His impressive background includes:
• 10 years serving as a Firefighter/Paramedic in the Houston, TX area.
• 5 years as a Trainer and Consultant at a premier safety and emergency response training firm in Deer Park, TX.
• Multiple years of dedicated experience across various safety and training-focused roles.

John will be based out of our Glasgow, KY office, but he is ready to travel nationwide to meet and support our clients' safety needs wherever they are.

With his extensive background in saving lives and training others to do the same, we know John is going to be an invaluable asset to both our team and our customers.

Welcome aboard, John! We’re proud to have you on the team! 🤝

Barren Inc.