City Workers Push Hard, Fast To Save Lives

Three dummies showed up in City Hall Wednesday — to help city workers get smarter about saving lives in an emergency.

The dummies were used in a training that took place for city government workers as part of national CPR & AED Week. (AED stands for automated external defibrillator.)

The design of the dummies (mannequins) has changed over time, as has the message sent to citizens learning how to use CPR to keep alive people who have collapsed and stopped breathing, city emergency management chief Rick Fontana (pictured at the event at left with Mayor Justin Elicker) explained before the training began.

Training used to focus on counting alternate maneuvers. Now it’s a simple two-part message: Call 911. Then pump hard, and fast, on the middle of the unconscious person’s chest until the fire department or ambulance crew arrives. Brings hands all the way up in between pumps.

A person has four minutes worth of oxygenated blood in their body that can keep them alive, so the idea is to get that blood flowing, Fontana said. The goal is to deliver 100 – 120 compressions per minute.

“Anyone can do CPR,” Fontana said.

AMR regional Operations Supervisor Diana Keil, at right in photo, then watched as city employees like the health department’s weights and measures sealer Kristen Bayer (at left) and legislative services chief Al Lucas (center) enthusiastically honed their life-saving muscle memory.

Mayor Elicker (pictured) was doing a refresher when his turn came. He has previously worked as a volunteer EMT.

Watch initial remarks and then some of the training in the video.