Moulton Eagle

EMS hosts life-saving CPR class

  • Capt. Jake Tollette explains proper CPR techniques while Asst. Chief Tim Decker demonstrates the procedure during the community CPR class Wednesday, March 30. Photo by Hans Lammeman
    Capt. Jake Tollette explains proper CPR techniques while Asst. Chief Tim Decker demonstrates the procedure during the community CPR class Wednesday, March 30. Photo by Hans Lammeman

    HANS LAMMEMAN, STAFF WRITER HANSPLAMM@GMAIL.COM

    Last Wednesday, Lavaca County EMS (LCEMS) hosted a free community CPR training class at the Shiner Public Library to teach attendees potentially life-saving techniques.

    Asst. Chief Tim Decker and Capt. Jake Tollette were the lead instructors of the two-hour course covering CPR and several other emergency response procedures. Guests had the opportunity to acquire Friends and Family CPR Certificates, Basic Life Support Certification and Heartsaver CPR AED cards.

    “(Cardiac arrest) could happen to anybody. It’s a scary situation when you don’t know what to do. You never know when it could be your mom, your sibling, your grandma or grandpa,” Decker said. “Even with EMS now, it’s still going to take us three, four, five minutes to get to you even if you’re in town. If you can start CPR early like we teach in this class, that’s going to give that family member or friend that much better of a chance when we get there because you’ve already started doing what we would’ve done.”

    The instructors used a hands-on teaching style, frequently utilizing humor and anecdotes from the field to keep the audience entertained. Each attendee practiced proper CPR and AED application techniques while receiving advice from seasoned EMTs. LCEMS previously held similar lessons in Hallettsville and Moulton; Decker expects future courses in more rural parts of the county like Moravia and Vienna.