CPR Recertification – An Overview

This blog is here to guide you through the process of getting your CPR recertification, as well as alleviate any doubts as to why you might need it.

To lay the groundwork for this, here are a few reasons why anyone already certified should still get re-certified every three years, or more frequently if you are a medical practitioner.

  1. Skill Retention Concerns

Once you’d gone through your initial training, you received all the knowledge and skill necessary to perform this lifesaving technique on another person. As the years go by, however, can you be absolutely sure that all the knowledge and skills you attained during that first course are still with you? Moreover, are you willing to find it out in a life-threatening situation? Just as is the case with any acquired skill, a lack of practice dulls the reflexes and erodes memory. Refreshing it is as vital as learning it in the first place.

  1. New Practices and Rules

The medical field, just as everything else in our lives, does not stand still. Better, more efficient and innovative methods are developed rapidly. The CPR and first aid courses you took three years ago taught the best practices known at the time. Learning newer methods now will increase your efficiency at dealing with the emergency.

  1. Laws and Liabilities

This may be a source of some frustration, but the fact is that the law treats a person who knows CPR yet doesn’t have a valid certificate, as if they weren’t trained at all. There is much damage that can result in someone applying CPR when they are untrained, and this is a precaution set in place to prevent it. Of course, if there is no other choice, an untrained (or not recertified) individual may decide to step in and assist, but the legal implications may be bad.

How to get CPR Recertified?

The good news is that recertification is even faster than initial first aid courses or first time cpr courses you took. The process of CPR recertification is pretty simple – you get to take a quick online refresher course for the knowledge set needed to perform CPR, and then proceed to a quick skill test in one of our many CPR training facilities conveniently located all around the Greater Toronto Area.

And finally, don’t look at this as an obstacle, but an opportunity.

An opportunity to enhance your skills, learn new ones and ultimately be better equipped to help save someone’s life.

Knowing What to do When Disaster Strikes in 2017

Disaster never calls ahead of time before it comes knocking.

It will crash your party in the middle of the night, or catch up with you on the road. It can sneak up on you, out or indoors. It loves catching people in swimming pools and lakes.

And sometimes large scale tragedies occur, such as the all to recent fire that raged across Port MacMurray, or the huge blackout we had two winters ago all over Toronto and the GTA.

The only thing we can do is prepare and keep a cool head when it happens.

But what does it mean to be prepared, apart from taking a Red Cross CPR course?

If you really want to be ready for an emergency, just follow this short list of New Year Resolutions for 2017.

Prep a First Aid and Emergency Gear Kit

Get a first aid kit for emergencies only (separate from the every day one) and keep it fully stocked at all times. Put it in a small pack with a list of additional important survival items.

Those include a three day supply of water and non-perishable food, a flashlight plus spare batteries and/or solar charger, multi tool, copies of all important cards and documents (proof of address, traveling documents, insurance policies, birth certificates, etc.), extra cash, and a spare cellphone, fully charged.

Set up an Emergency Plan

Discuss evacuation / emergency response scenarios with your family. Plan what to do when separated, set up places to meet, people to contact. Make sure at least a few household members had first aid and CPR training.

Make sure every household member knows where the emergency kit is stored so anyone can access it at need. If you have an evacuation route, plan a few alternatives in case the road gets blocked.

Stay on Top of Things

If you travel to areas of increased risk, do extra research on the dangers. If you are located near disaster zones (flooding, fires, blackouts), keep an eye on the news at all times, especially in the seasons when it is likely to occur.

And finally, get as many family members as possible through First Aid and CPR training. It doesn’t have to be a full fledged disaster for a loved one to be in danger. Saving lives is an ability everyone should have.

Contact one of our centers for first aid and CPR training today and get certified.