ESD staff receives CPR/AED training

On November 30 and December 1, 35 ESD staff members received lifesaving CPR/AED training from two fellow staffers who are also CPR instructors, Megan Streeter and Milt Villegas.  Best practices for CPR and AED use evolve over time, so it is important that those trained in CPR and AED be certified every two years. Regular CPR/AED trainings also give new employees the chance to learn.

Scott LaBar has coordinated the trainings for several years. He explains, “It takes time for emergency medical services to arrive, so the ability to deliver defibrillation to a sudden cardiac arrest victim within 3 to 5 minutes of collapse is critical. Providing on-site defibrillation increases survival rates.  If it can be applied within three minutes of collapse reported survival rates are as high as 74%.  For every minute without CPR and defibrillation, the odds of survival decrease 7–10%.”

Staff members watched videos and learned the fundamentals of CPR and AED use, and then they put their knowledge to use by practicing with devices, dummies, and actual AEDs. There were lots of laughs, and also some important realizations as staff members learned, for example, that performing abdominal thrusts on a choking victim is a lot harder than it looks.

Sara Moore attended the second class and was impressed with the quality of the training. She says, “I was very fortunate to attend Milt Villegas and Megan Streeter’s CPR/AED Training for ESD staff.  They did an AMAZING job!  Both were excellent instructors that were able to share their personal experiences in emergency response.  The training was very well received and appreciated by all.”