By Vesna Brajkovic

Sept. 17, 2014

The campus police, partnered with public access defibrillation (PAD) instructors, offer free CPR/AED training to staff, faculty, students and community members.

The course covers basic adult CPR, use of Automated External Defibrillators (AED) and is taught by available campus police officers, PAD instructors or a combination of the two.

Approximately 500 people have taken the CPR/AED training since January 2014 according to Chief of Police, Matthew Kiederlen.

There are 31 automated external defibrillators across campus reaching from Esker Dining Hall to Young Auditorium. AEDs are emergency response devices that, if needed, can send an electric shock to the heart to try to restore a normal heart rhythm. AEDs are used to treat sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).

SCA is a condition that causes the heart to suddenly and unexpectedly stop beating, stopping blood from flowing to the brain and other vital organs. If not treated within minutes, SCA usually leads to death, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

“Anytime you have additional training that can help another person in a state of emergency, it’s going to be a good thing,” Kiederlen said. “The more people understand how to perform CPR, and work with the AEDs, the more likely they are to save a life.”

Recertification sessions are offered along with initial training, which lasts two years.

There needs to be a minimum of four people for a training session to take place.

The course takes around four hours to complete, and can be scheduled through my.uww.edu under ‘University Police and Security.’ If the designated times don’t fit into a student or employee’s schedule, additional sessions can be added at request.

There is also an eight hour class offered that combines CPR/AED training with first aid and blood borne pathogens training.

Many student employees are required to be CPR/AED certified, like those that work in the Field House and weight room at the Williams Center.

“It’s important to able to give help as soon as they need it,” senior Kelsey Harms said. “You should be able to save lives.”

Kiederlen said many professors and different courses offer extra credit to those who take the course. He said that the instructors are happy to work with students on this because the goal is to get as many people certified as possible in the community.

“You never know when an individual can help save a life,” Kiederlen said.