Niagara Fire Dept. instructs CPR

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt Andrew Caya
  • 914th Airlift Wing
NIAGARA FALLS AIR RESERVE STATION, N.Y. --  Airmen of the 914th Airlift Wing, trained on CPR methods here, February 28.

The training, instructed by members of the Base Fire Department, offered a combination of classroom and hands-on portions, where the Airmen tested their CPR skills on medical instruction dummies.

"This training is vital for any military member," said NFARS Fire Department Lt. Lucas Douglas, a CPR instructor. "It's essential for the work place and even at home."

The CPR course is offered once a month and covers instructions for CPR for adults, children and infants as well as the procedures for using an automated external defibrillator.

"We learned how to perform CPR for the different age groups and the different types of compressions and repetitions for each one," said 914th Airlift Wing Financial Officer Maj. Joel McKowan, who underwent the course.  "It is definitely thorough."

Douglas urged people to take the course yearly.

"It's constantly changing," said Lucas. "There are always new directives and recommendations on repetitions and compression, so you really need to keep up with it. 

Despite the constant changes, Douglas and the rest of the Firefighters are eager to share the updates to the course with the Airmen and civilians on base.

"We love teaching CPR," said Douglas.  "It gives us a chance to hone our skills to get the best training out there."