When a person falls into cardiac arrest it takes about six minutes until a person becomes brain dead, but with a quick response and four simple steps, you can save lives.
At the Daleville Department of Public Safety building Feb. 5, officers learned cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) use during a quarterly basic life support training course.
Every three months, Daleville Public Safety hosts the course, which is free and open to everyone ages 12 and up.
The class, sponsored by the American Heart Association, lasts about four to six hours and is led by Lt. Willy Powell, Daleville officer and basic life support instructor.
Daleville public safety, fire and rescue staff are required to take the course once a year, but the class is also available for nursing home and daycare centers as well.
Individuals who attended the class Feb. 5, learned and practiced a variety of distress scenarios using adult and infant CPR dummies.
Scenarios in the class included how to perform CPR on adults and adolescents.
Step one in the process is assessment and scene safety. Step two is activate the emergency response system and get an AED. Step three is pulse check, and the final step is perform 30-chest compressions followed by two breaths.
Participants were also given instruction on how to perform the Heimlich maneuver on adults, children and infants.
According to Heart.org, every year about 383,000 out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrests occur, and 88 percent occur in the home.
However, with the help of the American Heart Association programs more than 12 million people are trained every year in CPR, according to Heart.org.
Powell said learning CPR is important because starting the process can save time before the emergency medical service team arrive.
“The first one on the scene, the early access, early CPR (and) early defibrillation is what saves lives,” he said.
The self-training CPR course in Daleville starts with a DVD, followed by instruction, a few practice rounds and concludes with a written exam.
“If you’ve never (performed) CPR before, (but) you (can) sit in the class and pass the written test, (then) you’ve retained enough knowledge to do CPR,” Powell said.
To pass the written exam, students must receive a score of 80 or above.
Once the student passes, Powell said, the individual receives a healthcare provider certification card, good for two years.
For those interested in attending a CPR class or for more information on the class, call the Daleville Rescue Squad Assistant Fire Chief Lt. Jerry Sapp at 334-598-4442.
The classes are free, but include a $5 fee for the certification card. There also has to be six or more people in attendance for a class to be held.
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