Peggy McGee
After a summer break, Hands-Only CPR classes are being offered again. These free classes are being taught by volunteers from the Greater Green Valley Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and other American Heart Association (AHA) certified CPR instructors. The classes take one hour of your time but give you valuable skills that can help save a life.
In addition to CPR training, the class also teaches one how to properly operate an AED (automated external defibrillator). The AEDs are found in restaurants, stores, churches, and other meeting places and throughout facilities in Quail Creek. How many residents really know how to operate them? When time is of the essence, waiting for the first responders to arrive on the scene is not a viable option.
Hands-only CPR is effective during the first few minutes after a cardiac arrest, according to the AHA. The use of an AED, which can restart the heart, increases the chance of survival.
These free CPR classes do not give one the certification required by some organizations and employers but, rather, teach people how to perform CPR to potentially save a life.
The Santa Rita Fire Department (SRFD) does offer CPR plus AED training with AHA certification. The training is available on Saturdays at the SRFD Training Center at a nominal price. Please call 520-625-9400 for more information or to register for the certification classes.
To register for the free classes, go to ggvcert.com and complete the Contact Us form, indicating you are interested in the CPR/AED training. When 10 people have signed up, someone from CERT will contact you to give you the time and place for the training.