West Central Valley High School’s Tod Broman was wearing a different hat on Wednesday than he normally does at school.

Broman, the school’s athletic director, is also a basic life support instructor for the Stuart Rescue unit, and he and colleagues Jeff Pease and Kelly Surber trained school staff in adult, child and infant CPR.  The group also taught staff the proper use of an automated external defibrillator, a mechanism that all schools in the district currently have.

“The fact that we have an AED in each school building, it’s vital for the teachers to know what it is, where it is, how it’s used, and that comes along with just the basic skills for performing CPR.  They can then carry these skills outside the building, so even in their own life, hopefully they are comfortable enough that they can recognize possible signs in which a person is going to need first aid.”

Broman says it had been several years since the last certified CPR course was taught, and with recent staff turnover at the school, he explains why it was necessary for new instructors to learn the lifesaving techniques.

“You never know when you’re going to need it.  You don’t know the medical history of an individual, whether it’s a student or it’s another staff member.  It’s best just to be trained.”

Broman says CPR certification lasts two years, though staff members are allowed to perform CPR beyond that period.  He also says it’s good for CPR certified individuals to go through refresher training sessions in the case that there have been any changes in protocol within the system.