Knowing CPR and be able to use an AED can be the difference of life and death.

CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and AED stands for automatic external defibrillator.

At our Rowan County YMCAs, all staff, full and part time, have to be trained to be a Red Cross certified professional rescuer. It’s more in-depth than community CPR, which is great for anyone to have. Most people have an idea from experience or television or internet what CPR is and what an AED does.

CPR keeps the heart pumping blood through the body by doing chest compressions and giving rescue breaths. An AED can shock a heart back into a correct rhythm.

For chest compression, to locate the right spot, feel at the bottom of the ribcage the bottom of the breast bone (middle of ribcage). Move up about two fingers and place the heel of your hand on top of the breastbone, placing your other hand right on top of it interlocking the fingers. Bring your shoulders above your hands, locking your elbows, and press the chest down for adults and children about two inches (you have to press pretty hard to press it down that deep) for infants, about 1-1/2 inch, using two fingers on the same spot) on a count of one and two and three, etc.

Count when pressing down, saying “and” when coming up, at a rate of about 100 to 120 compressions per minute. Do 30 compressions followed by two rescue breaths.

I have been certified for 36 years and things have changed over the years. One thing is they have found out that compressions are most important on a victim with no pulse and no breathing. The body has still plenty of oxygen in its blood to help supply important organs, so as long as the blood is pumping by your pushing on the chest, the chance of survival is already so much better.

Many people are uncomfortable or forget how to do rescue breaths, so as long as you are doing compressions, oxygen will go through the body (at least until emergency personnel arrives). Make sure the airway is clear (tilting chin up by pressing gently on forehead and lifting chin) giving two rescue breaths, breaths go in. No breathing, no pulse? Once more, find the bottom of the middle of the ribcage which is the breastbone/sternum, two fingers up, placing hands on top of each other and find your rhythm. One and two and three, all the way up to 30.

Most important, after checking the victim, call 911 first!

Our EMS (Emergency Medical Services) in Rowan County is quick! And they are trained and have the equipment to give the victim the best chance of survival.

Hopefully, you are where there is availability to an AED (we have AEDs at all our Rowan County YMCAs). Many places do and again, it has saved so many people who in the past would not have made it with the quick use of an AED.

So what does the AED do? It reads the electrical impulse of the heart and advises you to shock or not to shock. The ones common folks use will not shock when its not needed and you accidentally push the button.

I know many people have told me they are scared because they don’t want to mess up. I believe as long as you are trying to do something, the chance of that victim surviving already increases.

After attaching the stick-on pads (on the pads it shows you were to put them on the chest), the AED analyzes if the heart is in need of a shock. Most commonly, shock is advised when the heart is in V-fib, ventricular fibrillation. Instead of pumping the blood through the heart, the electrical system is out of whack and it quivers, not able to push the blood through the heart as it supposed to and in need of a shock or not. Again, you can’t accidentally shock someone when it’s not needed with a community AED.

CPR/AED and first aid are a recurrent certification and I know some people say, “Why do I have to renew every one or two years? It’s all about practice isn’t it?” The more you practice, the more it becomes part of an instinct when reacting to an emergency.

I am so happy that I have been keeping up with mine for 36 years. I have been so fortunate that God put me at the right place at the right time two times in the past 36 years where I had to do CPR and use the AED. And both times because our actions were so fast (and God is great), both people were saved.

At our YMCAs, we have an EAP (emergency action plan) for multiple emergencies, and the more you have things written out and are aware what to do in a non-stress situation, the better you will be prepared to react and act in an emergency situation where it will be stressful.

Our local Red Cross chapter has regular trainings to get certified in CPR/AED and first aid. The more people who jump in when needed, the better someone’s chance of survival is. You will also learn what not to do and what is out of your scope of practice.

Just because we are certified we are not emergency personnel, a nurse or a doctor. I can tell you out of experience, at least knowing you did everything you could do to help someone, whether they make it or not, your expertise in CPR/AED and first aid gives that person a whole new chance at life, and what is better than that?

Ester H. Marsh is H&F director of the J.F. Hurley Family YMCA and is a Red Cross certified professional rescuer.