Bella Vista's dispatchers learned CPR on Dec. 5. It was a refresher for some and a new lesson for others, but it's important for dispatchers and other emergency workers to be certified in CPR said Capt. Leon Lieutard, EMS coordinator for the Bella Vista Fire Department. It's also important to take refreshers, he said, and learn more as the standards change over time.
"CPR is what saves lives," he said.
Lieutard taught the course and teaches CPR regularly. The department also offers lessons on the second Friday of each month, he said, and the only cost is a $20 fee from the American Heart Association for a certification card.
Those interested can sign up, he said, by calling Fire Station No. 1 at 479-855-8249.
Training, he said, covers the use of an automatic external defibrillator, or AED, as well as adult, child and infant CPR.
Under current standards, he said, the focus is on chest compressions, which help push old blood loaded with waste products away from the heart.
The earlier it's started, he said, the more likely the patient is to survive.
"We have all the fancy equipment in the back of the ambulance," he said, "but it doesn't matter if the patient isn't viable."
A dispatcher who knows his or her way around CPR, he said, can prove extremely helpful here by guiding callers through CPR. This can get the process started, he explained, and that can drastically improve a patient's chance of survival.
Brent Bladow, who was recently hired and is currently training as a dispatcher, took the course. It was his first time learning CPR since he was in school, he said.
It was good to get hands-on practice with the training dummies, he said.
"I feel at least comfortable enough to explain how to do CPR," he said.
General News on 12/13/2017