‘We Can Create Heroes in 30 Minutes’

Woodbury is looking to train 7,000 lifesavers this year.

“We can create heroes in 30 minutes,” said Angela Kain, a firefighter-EMT with the .

The department in February announced , which seeks to train 7,000 people in hands-only CPR.

A handful of training sessions have been held and more are scheduled for May, along with additional outreach programs such as “lunch and learn,” where officials train groups or businesses over the lunch hour, Kain said.

Already 824 people have been trained in hands-only CPR.

“It’s exciting,” Kain said. “It’s been extremely well-received by everybody. It’s just a matter of getting the word out. Once they (have taken the course) they really appreciate having this knowledge.”

“Hands-only” refers to CPR that is done without mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, Emergency Medical Services Cmdr. J.B. Guiton told Patch when the program was launched. It’s the mouth-to-mouth aspect of the aid can make people hesitate to do CPR, he said, relaying information from the American Heart Association.

People shouldn’t worry about injuring the person suffering from sudden cardiac arrest, Kain said. There are Good Samaritan laws that protect people, she said.

Plus, “We can fix a (broken) rib,” Kain said.

“We’re trying to get rid of that fear so they do take that action,” she said.

The idea behind the program is to have those who are trained train others. The city came up with the 7,000 number because it is approximately 10 percent of Woodbury’s population. “We rounded up,” Kain said.

Check out the city’s webpage dedicated to the program for more information and upcoming sessions.

Hands-only CPR that requires no mouth-to-mouth breathing; it is a two-step technique that involves calling 911 and pushing hard and fast in the middle of the victim's chest until help arrives.

“It’s very simple,” Kain said. “We hope our community embraces it.”

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