Nakia Thurman, staff
Over the past year, Americans have been celebrating and honoring frontline workers who, despite the risk, continue to provide life-saving support and protection for those most in need.
Paramedic, emergency nurse and nurse practitioner Amanda Parker said, “You never know when you may be someone’s guardian angel.”
American Heart CPR instructor Ernie Thurman said, “Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, more commonly known as CPR, is a life-saving technique that helps maintain blood flow to the brain and heart in an emergency situation.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation can help pump oxygenated blood to your vital organs in the event the heart stops beating. Your organs need oxygen to function optimally and also to avoid brain death, so this issue is very important.
Starting CPR in the first minutes after someone collapses because their heart stops greatly improves their chance of survival in the end. It could take 20+ minutes for paramedics to arrive, so what a bystander does immediately is crucial.
A basic CPR course also covers choking, which is very important for restaurant workers and childcare providers.”
Thurman said, “When a person’s heart stops beating, they are in cardiac arrest. During cardiac arrest, the heart cannot pump blood to the rest of the body, including the brain and lungs. Death can happen in minutes, without treatment. CPR uses chest compressions to mimic how the heart pumps. These compressions help keep blood flowing throughout the body.”
Parker said, “You never know when you may be someone’s guardian angel. I have been at sporting events, concerts, and weddings when someone collapsed because their heart stopped and they needed CPR. Also, babysitters, teachers, coaches, and other regular people should know these basics on how to save a life.”
Parker became certified when she volunteered for the local ambulance service. Then she was able to teach groups in my hometown. She started driving the ambulance and attended additional classes as she could, eventually becoming a paramedic.
Parker and Thurman stated that because of covid, many classes were canceled at the beginning of covid and because the certification and renewals needed to keep happening, we did modify them to accommodate social distancing. Proper disinfection of all equipment has always been part of the course.
Locally, more classes were offered because the classes had to be smaller. There is also the option to complete an online course with lectures and video-game-type scenarios, but you still need to come to a class to demonstrate proper CPR skills in order to receive a CPR certification card.
“CPR is easy to learn,” Parker said. “It is broken down step by step, with the opportunity to practice as you go and ask questions. Although AHA does not provide cards until age 12, my 5-year-old was proficient in CPR by watching and teaching classes with her dad and me.”
Sophia Gire said, “I think that CPR certification would be very helpful for me because I am now an aunt of two. I have no idea about anything that has to do with CPR.”
Gire said, “I think that the Meade School District should offer a CPR class because you never know when it can save a life.”
CPR certification is available through aquatics and human development courses at SBHS.
Parker said, “An official renewal is needed every two years, but what you learn initially, you are likely to carry for a lifetime. And it may help spark interest in some toward a medical career or simply the satisfaction of knowing they are prepared for a potentially horrible situation.”
“I think that the Meade School District should offer the course,” Brooklyn Brant said, “but it should not be a mandatory thing. It should be optional. If students are interested, they should have the opportunity to pursue their interests. I am not CPR certified, but I probably should be. Everyone should learn how to save a life.”
“It hurts nothing to take a class,” Parker said. “Knowledge is beneficial and may come in handy someday. If a stranger, parent or child collapses in front of you, your skills could save a life. I know people might be worried about doing it wrong, but most states have laws to protect people who are acting in good faith to help someone.”