COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) -
Living in South Carolina, a lot of us spend time having fun in or around the water, especially during the summer.
WIS News 10's Judi Gatson got some peace of mind and got trained on exactly what to do in an emergency.
She went to the American Red Cross, where they make the training as realistic as possible. It's not just textbooks and lectures. It's hands on.
The six-hour course covered CPR and first aid. Instructor Leslie Blaine Roscoe, made sure participants understand proper procedure and technique.
CPR training included giving rescue breaths. But Roscoe says for adults the Red Cross is now encouraging chest compressions without the rescue breathing as another option.
"If people were in a circumstance that someone needed assistance, if they had at least exposure to the hands only they would do something," said Roscoe.
For infants, giving rescue breaths is critical and the technique is different.
"Put two or three fingers in the center of the infant's chest, just below the nipple line," said Roscoe. "The compressions for an infant are not as hard, or as deep."
We also learned giving CPR can be exhausting. Some situations may require a tag team approach, which is why Judy signed her husband up for the classes.
Roscoe said CPR training is something everyone, especially parents should consider. Hopefully you will never need it, but if you do you'll be confident, trained & ready to rescue.
"Get the training, your kids are going to benefit from it," said Roscoe. "If you have that emergency, your loved ones, your family, it's really important, it's just to get familiar with that training."
One thing that is consistent in adult and child & infant CPR is the ratio of chest compressions to rescue breaths. It's always 30 compressions to 2 rescue breaths.
Being able to give those rescue breaths definitely increases the chances of survival.
And in an emergency, don't just yell "help!" People don't know what to do. Instead identify a specific person and tell them to call 911.
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Judi Gatson practices CPR techniques
