Fort Worth Fire Department Offers Free CPR and AED Training at Local Libraries

Starting September 29, the Fort Worth Fire Department will bring life-saving skills to the local community with hands-on CPR and AED training sessions at seven public library locations. Classes will be held in English and Spanish. The City of Fort Worth revealed in a report that these sessions intend to bolster residents' capabilities to administer immediate care in medical emergencies.

The initiative, emphasized through the criticality of prompt CPR and AED responses by the American Heart Association which points to their potential to double or triple survival rates following a cardiac arrest, is part of proactive community engagement by local emergency services as they aim to prepare the public for dire situations. "We always want our residents to call 911 in a medical emergency, but we also want teens and adults in Fort Worth to feel confident in how to use life-saving tools like AEDs and know how to perform CPR until our firefighters, paramedics or EMTs can arrive," said Craig Trojacek, FWFD public information officer, highlighting the dual importance of emergency calling and immediate bystander action, as per the City of Fort Worth.

Moreover, the bilingual approach of these classes, with the support of the Fort Worth Police Department for Spanish interpretation, seeks to be inclusive, enabling a broader demographic to benefit from the knowledge imparted. The upcoming CPR/AED classes span across various dates and times at the Southwest Regional, East Regional, Northwest, Diamond Hill/Jarvis, Vivian J. Lincoln, Ella Mae Shamblee, and Golden Triangle Libraries, with a dedicated schedule aimed at reaching as many individuals as possible.

Midori Clark, the Library Director, echoed the sentiment stating, as cited by the City of Fort Worth, "Our libraries regularly offer lifelong learning opportunities for adults," her words reflect the library's mission beyond just books but as a hub for community empowerment and education. Furthermore, the sessions are free of charge, designed for both teens and adults and do not require any pre-registration but are available first-come, first-served; this open-access is part of an effort to lower the barriers to important educational opportunities.