LAMORINDA WEEKLY | ConFire directors lead by example during CPR exercise


Photo Nick Marnell

To the beat of the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive," the directors of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District completed an exercise in administering Hands-Only CPR to mannequins at the May 14 fire board meeting. The class was conducted by Anna Cleese, American Medical Response EMS community education specialist.

"We want to get this out to the community because it's the difference between thriving and surviving," Cleese said.

ConFire and AMR - the Alliance - have launched an initiative to train every high school student in the district to save lives in their communities using Hands-Only CPR. Training will begin at the start of the 2019-20 school year and will be conducted by uniformed district firefighters and AMR paramedics, with the goal of educating 10,000 high school students.

"Call 911, and push hard and fast" is the two-step directive for Hands-Only CPR from the American Red Cross. It was the exact procedure used by a Saint Mary's College student in February to save a man's life in Moraga.

"I'm not going to be able to get the Bee Gees out of my head all day," Director Diane Burgis said.