DELTA TOWNSHIP, Mich. — In an instant everything can change, and you may be called into action to help save someone's life, which is why learning CPR can be crucial.
Rick Williams, owner of A CPR COMPANY, has a personal connection to CPR instruction.
"My journey began in 1992. I was just trained in CPR. My dad had a heart attack just two weeks after that, so I did CPR for a long time. He didn't end up making it," Williams said.
Rick's dad had agonal breathing, meaning he wasn't getting enough oxygen to the brain.
"I just looked at it as breathing. He was breathing, so I left him alone and that was a tragic mistake," he said.
Ever since then, he vowed to save as many lives as he could. Rick encourages everyone to learn CPR no matter the age emphasizing the fact that every second matters.
According to Williams, CPR techniques have slightly changed over the years.
"Largely, they're trying to keep it simpler than we have seen numbers and all of that," he said.
Despite the changes, the importance of doing proper CPR has remained the same. Early defibrillation can save people from cardiac arrest. Since 1997, Rick and his wife Rhonda have dedicated their lives to ensuring everyone knows that CPR isn't as intimidating as people think it is.
"The good news is it can be simple. You just make sure the scene is safe, call 911 and start doing compressions," Williams said. "You will then check the pulse and breathing and see if they need help in five to 10 seconds. If there are pauses and not breathing normally, you go right into compressions and that's where it gets exciting."
Williams says you need to make sure you are pressing deep enough in the chest compressions.
"At least two inches. So you just do 30 compressions, and then, you would do two breaths," he said.
A CPR COMPANY is location in the Lansing Mall and offers full certification trainings as well as 30-minute fast track classes for all ages to learn this important skill.
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