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Red Cross AED Training Saves a Life
Written by
Ike Pigott
, Special to RedCross.org
Thursday, March 09, 2006 — HOOVER, Ala. – Never underestimate the importance of first aid and CPR/AED training. Just ask the staff at the Hoover Country Club in Hoover, Ala.
Rance Hardy, a Vestavia Hills resident, collapsed on the driving range Tuesday, March 7. Brian Wannemuehler, Hoover Country Club’s PGA Golf Professional, learned about the emergency and took immediate action.
Wannemuehler grabbed an automated external defibrillator (AED) and went to the driving range. He described Hardy as having great difficulty in breathing, as though he was taking his last breath. Wannemuehler kept Hardy alive with a shock from the portable AED, allowing paramedics to take over.
Wannemuehler was one of 21,448 people in Central Alabama who got First Aid/CPR/AED training from the Birmingham Area Chapter of the American Red Cross last year.
Country club manager Steve Karamichael organizes the employee training every year. It’s not mandatory, but is provided by the company to each employee that wishes to take a few hours to learn.
“If it wasn’t for the annual CPR and AED training and Brian’s quick response, well, we don’t really have to go there,” said Karamichael. “I heard Mr. Hardy will have full recovery.”
To learn more about Red Cross training courses, visit the Health & Safety Services section of RedCross.org. To find out about courses and training schedules in your community or to talk to someone about scheduling employee training, contact your local Red Cross chapter. Together, we can save a life.
Ike Pigott is the Red Cross chapter communicator in Birmingham, Ala., and a member of its Rapid Response team. A 16-year broadcasting veteran, Pigott won an Emmy for news writing and a number of Associated Press awards for his reporting and feature work.
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