New York’s Bravest, the FDNY, offers FREE CPR classes in libraries, and other locations all over New York City. This is a great program, and you will learn enough to save somebody’s life.
The program is now called Be 911, and here’s what you’ll learn from certified FDNY EMS personnel:
- Basic instruction on performing compressions-only CPR
- Basic instruction on how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED)
- Practice mannequins for use during class
- Take-home instruction for follow-up practice.
To date, the program has successfully trained thousands of New Yorkers in this lifesaving technique – including NYC on the Cheap editor Evelyn Kanter.
I attended a class recently, and gained the confidence to step in to do chest compressions until a more skilled EMT arrives.
The Be 911 CPR Program is a partnership between the FDNY’s Mobile CPR Training Unit, the FDNY Foundation, and NYC Service.
Sign up now for spring classes at the official FDNY Smart website and be prepared for summer emergencies.
To sign up for a FREE FDNY CPR class, or to schedule a class in your community for groups of 15+, you can also call the FDNY’s CPR Training Unit at (718) 281-3888.
You never know when disaster will strike, so it is important to be prepared to help before emergency responders arrive at the scene. I bet you were a hero for the person you did chest compressions for before the EMT could arrive! I don’t have a group of 15 who will take a class with me, but I do think I will take a class on my own.