By Steve Peterson Special to Official Kids Magazine

There are many reasons for someone to want to learn basic life-saving techniques like first aid and CPR . Accidents or emergencies can happen anywhere and at any time . Age is not a limitation . Older children are sometimes entrusted with caring for their younger siblings or they may want to work as a babysitter . Children are often involved in sports and outdoor activities . Any of these events might involve an emergency situation . Even a simple family outing or helping prepare a meal might result in an accidental cut , scrape or burn .

Being prepared with knowledge can ensure a person in distress receives timely care and attention .

Rylee P ., 11 , of Greenwood had her reasons when she asked to learn more last summer when she was 10 . Rylee has several stepsiblings and wanted to know what to do in the event of an emergency at home , she said . She was also curious about her mother ’ s work . Rylee ’ s mom , Brittany Cunningham , teaches first aid and CPR procedures . Brittany is a basic life support instructor with the CPR Center in Fort Smith .

“ She asked me if she could learn ,” Brittany said of Rylee , “ and I figured if she was old enough to ask , she was old enough to learn .”

Rylee said she learned how to perform chest compressions and rescue breaths on both

an adult and a child patient . In addition , she learned how to use pressure to stop a wound from bleeding and how to use an EpiPen on someone suffering from an allergic reaction . Other first aid basics include checking a victim for injuries and anything like a medical alert bracelet ; cleaning and disinfecting a wound once bleeding has stopped ; applying a clean , dry bandage to a wound ; applying a cool , wet towel loosely to a minor burn ; using ice to ease swelling ; safely checking for broken bones ; properly using and removing protective gloves ; and assembling a basic first aid kit .

“ I thought it was fun ,” Rylee said of taking the class .

Brittany said it is not common to have younger children sign up for the classes at the CPR Center , but that she encourages everyone who is interested to learn .

“ It ’ s always good to have kids who know what to do in an emergency situation ,” Brittany said .

Learning CPR

The CPR Center follows instruction guidelines as created by the American Heart Association , said Lauren Sutton , owner and CEO of the facility . Their Heartsaver classes are geared for those with limited or no medical training and cover basic first aid , CPR training and how to deal with choking . While there is no age limit enforced by the AHA , Lauren said , a person taking classes

must be able to successfully perform the various procedures to be certified . That includes possessing the upper body strength to perform chest compressions and give rescue breaths during CPR , which can be very demanding , she said .

CPR typically consists of a combination of 30 chest compressions and two breaths . The chest compressions need to move the unconscious person ’ s chest down at least 2 inches for adults . The depth of the compressions is less for a child or infant in distress . The rescue breaths need to visibly inflate the person ’ s lungs and raise the chest . The transition between chest compressions and rescue breaths and back needs to be quick . Chest

compressions should be performed at a rate of between 100-120 per minute , according to the AHA guidelines .

Lane DeBruce , chest pain coordinator with Mercy Fort Smith ’ s cardiology department , agreed that skill level is more important than age when performing CPR . Lane , a former paramedic , teaches compression-only CPR during community health fairs across the region . He recalled one such event at Darby Middle School in Fort Smith last fall , when a couple asked him to teach their son . The boy , likely 10 or 11 at the time , had only one arm , Lane said .

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