“The Red Cross wants the public to know that everyone has the power to save a life, and that is an amazing ability,” says Chapter Executive Director, Lynne Gump, “On average, it takes emergency personnel 10 minutes to arrive on scene. For someone who is choking or has stopped breathing, that simply may be too late. By learning basic rescue skills, you can go from being a helpless bystander to a person with the ability to take control and help someone during an emergency.” These basic skills are taught around the country and here in Darke County by amazing volunteers who give of their time to teach these skills to others so that they can save lives as well. The Darke County Chapter teaches classes every month in courses that gain you certification, as well as courses that teach the “average” person how to save a life. In addition, courses also include online courses in First Aid and CPR and a Citizen CPR, which is a “hands-only” version of CPR.
Just last month at the Youth Health Fair presented by Wayne Health Care, American Red Cross volunteers taught over 350 fifth-graders how to perform Citizen CPR. The purpose of the Cross Citizen CPR course is to teach untrained bystanders how to perform hands-only CPR. Having more citizen bystanders trained in this simple skill can help save lives by putting more cardiac arrest victims within a few steps of lifesaving assistance. “Imagine an eleven year old who learns how to save a life at that young age, the impact it can make in their lives,” states Gump, “Being empowered with this kind of training could change not only their life, but those around them.”
If you would like to learn how to perform CPR, use an AED or basic First Aid training, you can simply call 1-800-REDCROSS or go online to www.redcross.org.