It’s a skill most of us hope we’ll never need. But if someone collapses at home, at work or in a public place, knowing how to respond matters. Tacoma’s annual CPR Weekend offers residents a chance to learn and practice those skills for free on Saturday and Sunday, October 3–4.
The Saturday sessions are scheduled for 10 a.m. and noon at the Eastside Community Center, 1721 E. 56th St. Sunday’s sessions move to Henry Foss High School, 2112 S. Tyler St., with start times of 8 a.m., 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. Each class takes approximately two and a half hours.
This isn’t a class where you only watch someone demonstrate CPR. The program combines a lecture with hands-on training using CPR manikins and automated external defibrillators, commonly called AEDs. Organizers say more than 50 certified Basic Life Support instructors take part in the event.
The lessons cover one-rescuer CPR for adults, children and infants, along with assessing a patient and responding to an obstructed airway. The program also includes how to recognize signs of an opioid overdose and use naloxone, the medication used to reverse one.
CPR Weekend has become a sizable Tacoma tradition. According to the organizers, more than 15,000 people have attended since the community program began. Its aim is straightforward: give people a place to learn skills they might otherwise keep meaning to pick up someday.
There is no minimum age to attend. To receive a Tacoma Fire Department CPR card, however, a participant must attend the lecture and be physically able to perform two full minutes of adult compressions and breaths. The organizers say the card is valid for two years.
If you need a credential for work, check the requirements before signing up. This course does not provide an American Heart Association or Red Cross card, cover first aid, or meet Basic Life Support requirements for healthcare workers. Organizers say many employers outside healthcare accept the Tacoma Fire Department card, but your employer can tell you whether it meets your particular requirement.
Seats can fill. As of yesterday evening, the Saturday 10 a.m. class was marked closed for registration, while the event registration page listed the remaining sessions. That page is the best place to check current availability and choose a time. Organizers recommend arriving 10–20 minutes early to sign in.
The weekend asks for about two and a half hours of your time, with no class fee. It offers something useful to take home: practice responding to an emergency before you’re faced with one.
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