Baxter FD To Host Basic Life Saving Skills Class Saturday

Baxter Fire Department will host a CPR and First Aid course this Saturday morning at 9 a.m.

Chief Matthew White said that the course will teach attendees basic life-saving skills they can use in various emergencies.

“We’ll teach them in case they might have to do CPR or Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation where they have to do chest compression or ventilations on a familymember or friend,” White said. “Ans also about choking in case somebody might get choked and they might have to relieve the victim in order to help them have a better chance to survive.”

White said that it’s important to have an understanding of these skills so that you can be prepared. You never know who might be the victim of a sudden heart attack or choking.

“We never know who might be affected by it or who might be the victim of a sudden heart attack or cardiac arrest,” White said. “And the more people we have trained the better. We know you only have a few moments from the time that the event happens before you have to start doing CPR to have a good chance of survival, and the faster and the more people we can train to do that, the better outcome it is for the patient.”

White said that the department tries to offer this kind of programming as often as possible.

“Locally and in different places in Putnam County, there have been several people that the skills they’ve learned may not have taken effect for a few years, but they did realize that it was very important to learn,” White said. “And they were able to utilize the skills they’ve learned to save someone’s life.”

White said the certified class is completely free. This class will take approximately 4 hours to complete, and is recommended for anyone 16 years of age or older.