I babysat for two little girls during college. The 4 year-old was kind of an asshole (can you say that about a kid?), but the toddler was pretty cool. Anyway, one day the mom asked me if I knew CPR and Heimlich maneuver, in particular the methods designed for toddlers. Alas, I did not (I don’t understand how or why people leave their children with incompetent strangers). She gave me a quick overview, saying things like, “you have to do it extremely hard†and “don’t be afraid to break her ribs.†Well, naturally I was afraid to break her ribs. But instead of taking classes ($) to learn these techniques, I just fed the kids exclusively mushy things they wouldn’t choke on, like yogurt and bananas (FREE). The morals of that story are that I am a great babysitter and everyone should know how to resuscitate their fellow man. Most CPR certification classes are fee-based but Sports Basement, a Bay Area outdoors equipment chain, offers them for FREE (this is genius because asthmatic people like myself will probably require CPR after participating in outdoor activities).
They offer the FREE CPR classes in San Francisco (The Presidio and near The Mission), the South Bay (Sunnyvale), and the East Bay (Walnut Creek). Include your name, address, phone number, and email address when emailing for info/registration. Check out their FREE yoga/fitness classes, FREE bike maintenance/swaps/group rides, FREE fun runs, and FREE clinics by Pro Athletes too. Check all of their sites for listings of lots of awesome FREE events:
Bryant St. Location Events Page
1st & 3rd Monday 5-7pm
1590 Bryant St.
To register, contact:
sb.cpr.bryant@sportsbasement.com
Presidio Location Events Page
1st & 3rd Monday 5-8pm
610 Old Mason St.
To register, contact:
sb.cpr.pre@sportsbasement.com
Sunnyvale Location Events Page
1st & 3rd Monday, 2nd & 4th Thursday, 6-8:30pm
1177 Kern Ave
To register, contact:
sb.cpr.sunnyvale@sportsbasement.com
Walnut Creek Events Page
Every Tuesday & Wednesday 6-8:30pm
1881 Ygnacio Valley Road
To register, contact:
sb.cpr.walnutcreek@sportsbasement.com
It’s great that CPR training is offered free. It’s important that as many people as possible make use of this opportunity.