Iola Roberts Elementary School third-grade teacher Jennifer Cohron and Williams Intermediate School physical education coach Allen Doss practice CPR on an infant manikin. A CPR training course was held at Williams Intermediate School by Pell City Firefighters. Bob Crisp
“I don’t know if I can tell you about it without crying,” said Ila Ellis of Cropwell one of about 30 school system employees who were taking a CPR class offered by the Pell City Fire Department. “My sister just left my house and had a massive heart attack.”
Ellis said her sister lived in a house behind her residence.
Her sister got home, sat on a couch and had a heart attack. Her sister’s husband called for help.
“I ran up there and tried to help him,” Ellis said. “She did not make it.”
Ellis said she did compressions, while her brother-in-law performed ventilations, breathing into her mouth.
“I wouldn’t know if I did it wrong or right,” Ellis said.
After attending CPR certification class held at Williams Intermediate School Wednesday, Ellis now knows the proper way to administer CPR, also known as cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Pell City school system LPN Michelle Hall helped organized the CPR class. Teachers, principals, counselors, secretaries, coaches and even substitute teachers attended the certification class.
“We feel like this is so important for our children, our faculty and our school system,” said Dori Rich, a systemwide registered nurse.
She said notices were sent out throughout the school system, offering the free CPR class to all employees.
“We thought it would be a great opportunity to have them trained and certified in CPR,” Rich said.
She said nobody knows when CPR training will pay off for school workers.
“But we’ll have members that are trained throughout the school system,” Rich said. “I just think it’s a great thing.”
Pell City firefighters from Station 1 brought manikins for school system employees to practice CPR.
“The fire department is trying to get more involved in helping students and teachers through this CPR certification,” said Pell City Firefighter Tim Kurzejeski, the EMS director for the fire department and city. “CPR procedures change almost every year.”
He said participants must take the CPR course every two years to maintain their certification.
“We’re going to try to do more of these throughout the year,” Kurzejeski said, adding that Wednesday’s turnout was good.
He said hopefully more employees will take the course when they offer it later in the year.
“We’re also looking at communitywide CPR training,” Kurzejeski said, adding that the fire department must still iron out final details.
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