CPR training is one of the most valuable life saving skills anyone could possess. When I was living in Chile in the late 90s, I had to give CPR to my neighbor who was electrocuted in her shower and unfortunately was never resuscitated. There was however some comfort knowing that everything that could have been done for the mother of three children was done. I was quite amazed that my Chilean neighbors had no concept of CPR intervention as I had considered it as common knowledge having grown up in boy scouts, swimming, security jobs, and working with the Red Cross. Fast forward to 2020 and now AED training is also included in practically every CPR class because you can find AED machines in nearly every public space. When someone is in cardiac arrest, delaying defibrillation from an AED reduces the chances of the patient’s survival by 10% with each minute that passes. When AEDs became commercially available, I purchased one and often carry with me when I’m filming TV shows. You never know who in the crew might need a jump start!
Well, enough about stats and why it’s important. GO GET TRAINED! If you took CPR years ago, it’s recommended you renew your certification every 2 years to stay up on the latest protocols. Then teach it to your parents, your kids, everyone who is too lazy to sit through a class! Over the past few weeks I decided that I wanted to add a CPR instructor rating to my skills. It helps keep it fresh in my mind and I like teaching others such important interventions. Now let’s talk about the CPR manikins. How creepy are they!? Most people know I hate dolls and manikins, but as a CPR instructor I have to buy a set of adult torsos and babies for my classes. I’ll be keeping them in carrying cases so I can’t see their faces and I’m not going to give them names. Once you name a manikin I think it feels like it has the right to respond to you and that’s never good. I mean, come on… the official name of the manikin below is “Fat Old Fred”. Who wants Fat Old Fred talking to you in the middle of the night?
