Free CPR and AED training courses are available to the Plymouth community this fall, thanks to a partnership between the Plymouth Public Safety Department and Rotary Club of Plymouth. The one-hour Heart Safe Plymouth training sessions are open to teenagers and adults who are interested in learning to help save lives. Participants learn hands-only CPR, which teaches chest compressions without mouth-to-mouth breaths, as well as the use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). AED devices detect disturbances in the rhythm of a heartbeat and are able to treat them through defibrillation, allowing the heart to re-establish an effective rhythm.

 

Wednesday Evening CPR/AED Trainings
Training sessions are set for 7-8 p.m. the following Wednesdays on the second floor of the Plymouth Public Safety Building, 3400 Plymouth Blvd., adjacent to City Hall.

 

 

To register, visit heartsafeplymouth.eventbrite.com. Space is limited to 30 participants per training session.

 

Heart Safe Plymouth Background
The City of Plymouth was designated a Heart Safe Community in 2013 by the American Heart Association. The program recognizes efforts by individual communities to improve their system for preventing deaths caused by sudden cardiac arrest.

 

According to the AHA, 70 percent of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen in homes – and only about 46% of people who experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest get the immediate help that they need before professional first responders arrive.
 

Rotary Club of Plymouth began holding free CPR and AED training sessions in 2012 and has helped train more than 5,200 Plymouth residents and businesspeople. Sponsors include Heart Safe communities through AHA, Minnesota Department of Health and Allina Health.

 

Businesses groups and organizations can obtain more information or schedule a free training. For more information, email heartsafeplymouth@gmail.com, call CPR/AED Instructor Norm Okerstrom at 763-238-8443, or visit rotaryplymouth.org.