Southold students get training in hands-only CPR

Members of the Southold Fire Department-American Heart Association Training Center taught all Southold students in the 7th through 12th grades what’s called hands-only CPR this past week.

The students were taught hands-only CPR, which doesn’t include mouth-to-mouth, during their Tuesday and Wednesday physical education classes.

“The whole idea is to get more people involved,” said Southold Fire Department rescue squad captain and training center coordinator Chris Manfredi.

He described the two-day training sessions as “fantastic.”

“The setup was, basically, that we talked to them for a little while,” he said. “And there’s more or less a script that the American Heart Association puts out.”

According to the American Heart Association, hands-only CPR is recommended for people who see a teen or adult suddenly collapse in an out-of-hospital setting, such as at home, school or public place like a park.

It consists of two easy steps:

1. Call 911 (or send someone to do that) and stay on the phone for detailed instructions from the dispatcher.

2. Push hard and fast in the center of the chest.

For more information, please visit www.heart.org.