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August 19, 2008

Life training

Velma Firefighters update CPR skills

Derrick Miller

VELMA — VELMA — To save a life, training is crucial.

Velma Fire Department members were given a refresher course in CPR Thursday by the emergency medical service in Velma.

Firefighters, along with anyone who is certified in CPR, have to retrain every two years.

Misty Lewis, Velma Emergency Management Service director, led the training course for eight firefighters.

The class took place after the Velma firefighter meeting at the VFD building.

“It’s not a skill you use every day,” Lewis said. “If you don’t use it, you lose it. You need to keep yourself updated on all changes.”

CPR is re-evaluated and changed every five years. The last time, it was modified by the American Heart Association.

Lewis said the refresher helps ensure people perform CPR correctly. She said it also aids them in breaking bad habits.

“One thing I see a lot is they don’t allow complete chest recoil,” she said.

But with training, the certified person is given direction on how to do such a maneuver. They also focused on breathing, working on infants and young children, and performing CPR on choking victims.

While the firefighters might have been reminded of the life-saving action, Lewis said she didn’t go into much detail with them because she was racing an incoming storm.

“I think the firefighters did well,” she said. “I got a little rushed because of the storm.

“I wasn’t able to get as in-depth.”

As the class came to an end, the storm hit, and the building, along with other parts of the town, lost electricity. The power outage lasted only a short time, but the training session came to an end, regardless.

She said the storm didn’t detract from the training they required.

“Everyone caught on,” Lewis said. “They still got the training they needed.”

The VFD wasn’t the first group to receive CPR training from Lewis this summer. On July 12, she also worked with the Loco Fire Department. During that class, she was able to teach CPR to 10 firefighters.

She said the Loco firefighters took to the training and were interested in learning everything they could about performing CPR.

While firefighters might be essential in saving lives, firefighters aren’t the only people she teaches CPR. She teaches anyone who wants to learn, she said.

“I pretty much teach it to anyone who asks for it,” Lewis said. “I can do it one on one.

“My goal is to make sure, if someone is going to help someone else, to make it convenient for them.”

She said she is also willing to help people with their CPR skills, even if the two-year mark for renewing certification isn’t up.

“Anyone who takes CPR training from me, they don’t have to wait until the two-year mark,” Lewis said. “I will work on whatever they want to work on.

“Two years is a long time, really.”

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