Detroit Lions Foundation, American Heart Association host CPR training for community members, educators
Over a hundred people gathered at Ford Field on Wednesday for CPR training hosted by the Detroit Lions Foundation and the American Heart Association, all with the goal of preparing more people to respond during a cardiac emergency.
The event featured two separate training opportunities. Community members took part in Hands-Only CPR training, learning how to recognize a cardiac emergency, call 911 and perform chest compressions until help arrives. Meanwhile, educators and staff members from Walled Lake Consolidated Schools participated in a separate CPR certification course, allowing them to earn credentials and bring that knowledge back to their schools.
"We're so grateful to work with the Lions," said Katie Langston, Vice President of Development for the American Heart Association Southeast Michigan. "They're an amazing organization, truly invested in the community the same way we are."
Participants practiced CPR techniques and learned how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED). For Nick Siegfried, an elementary school physical education teacher in Walled Lake, the training is about being prepared for the unexpected.
"You never know when the school year starts if something is going to happen, so you always want to be prepared," Siegfried said. "A little more practice is never a bad thing."
According to the American Heart Association, approximately 350,000 people experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital each year in the United States.
"It happens at work, at home, at the grocery store," Langston said. "By more people knowing how to respond during a cardiac arrest, knowing to call 911, knowing how to do chest compressions and understanding it's okay and appropriate to use an AED, we can significantly increase the number of lives we save."
Organizers said one of the long-term goals of the event is to expand CPR education beyond a single day of training. In addition to the certification course, Walled Lake Schools will receive 20 CPR training kits from the American Heart Association. Those kits are expected to help teach the lifesaving skill to more than 11,000 students throughout the district.
Assistant Principal Tony McNamara said CPR education is valuable for both staff and students.
"With 900 kids in one building and 100 staff members, to make sure that we have a safe and secure building, these are important skills that everyone should know," McNamara said.
Organizers hope the training will help create more people who are prepared to step in during an emergency and potentially save a life.
