Red Cross CPR Saturday reaches more than 200 teens

A group of more than 200 teens were at the mall on Saturday — not to shop, but to learn how to save a life.

Participants ages 12-18 attended the second annual CPR Saturday for Teens at Kitsap Mall. The free event was presented by the American Red Cross and everyone who successfully completed the training walked away with CPR certification good for one year.

“It was very insightful and they taught everything I needed to know,” said Cassandra Case, 15, of Port Orchard. “It’s a good skill to have in case something happens.”

Case helps with children in foster care and decided to become certified so that she would have the proper training in case something ever happened.

“It was nice to have actual interaction with the mannequins,” she said. “After we watched the video we went right into it and had to practice what we learned on the tape.”

There were four separate time sessions so that each class size wouldn’t be too large. After watching the 45-minute CPR video the teens were divided into groups of four to six. Each group practiced a variety of life saving techniques with a CPR certified instructor.

“I think this is the the kind of knowledge that everyone should have,” said CPR instructor Kevin Flatley. “Kids seem to pick it up much faster than adults.”

The teens learned what to do if someone is either consciously choking or unconsciously choking. They were taught what to do if they come across an unconscious victim and how to put them in the recovery position. The teens then practiced 12 cycles of rescue breathing

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