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The LaGrange Fire Department is set to host a citizens First Aid, CPR and AED Training class.

LFD plans to host the training sessions quarterly which include Heartsaver (CPR and First Aid) and BLS (Basic Life Support without First Aid) training. The goal is to equip residents with skills that can potentially save someone’s life in the crucial minute before emergency help can arrive.

The fire department began doing the training in 2020 but COVID and other health complications slowed the program. They are currently planning to get back to offering the training classes quarterly.

Lt. Paramedic Jonathan Highland started the program in 2020 to help citizens who wanted to learn CPR or get their CPR certification. He and Firefighter Quinten Brown are looking to get the classes started back on a more regular schedule.

“This is our third class,” Highland said. “We’re going to try to do it at least four classes a year moving forward.”

Highland said the only things they will teach are how to do CPR and use AEDs.

“It’s just your basic, basic life support certification or for people that are in health care, a lay person, or maybe a daycare worker or somebody that just wants to learn CPR,” Highland said.

Highland said the class is open to anyone regardless of age and beginners are welcome.

“We teach teenagers. The oldest lady I thought CPR was 90. So it’s all walks of life, all ages, and all experience levels are welcome,” he said.

Highland said there is a big need for everybody to at least know how to do chest compressions.

“When I teach my class, I always emphasize the fact that if you learn nothing else from this class, the one thing that I want you to take away is how to efficiently and effectively do chest compressions, because that essentially keeps a person in cardiac arrest viable for when the fire department or AMR shows up and can start the next steps in resuscitating that person,” Highland said.

Highland said chest compressions essentially keep a person’s heartbeat going so their organs remain working.  Chest compressions can bring someone back to life but most of the time, either an AED or medication is needed to restart the heart. Chest compressions just keep vital organs alive until help can arrive, he said.

The next class will be held on Saturday, Jan. 18, from 8 a.m. to noon at the LaGrange Fire Department Headquarters on Hill Street.

Spots are limited to just 20 participants per session. For larger groups or companies, LFD can arrange special classes outside of the regular schedule.

Registration is required to attend and the cost is $25 per participant. To register, visit https://www.lagrangega.gov/departments/fire/divisions_programs/prevention_public_education/cpr_first_aid_training.php.