The events that occurred during Monday Night Football may have given you another reason to ensure you are prepared with CPR skills. According to ESPN, Buffalo Bills cornerback Damar Hamlin remains in a Cincinnati hospital in critical condition after suffering from cardiac arrest following a tackle against Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins. Medical officials gave Hamlin CPR for several minutes before he was administered oxygen and taken by ambulance to the hospital. Over 575 miles away, Sister Bay/Liberty Grove Fire Chief Christ Hecht shared his prayers for the Hamlin family while expressing the importance of learning CPR and using a defibrillator.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, about nine in ten people with cardiac arrest outside a hospital die with CPR dramatically improving those odds. Administering CPR  correctly can double or triple a person’s chance of survival from cardiac arrest if administered in the first few minutes. The Sister Bay/Liberty Grove Fire Department continues to conduct CPR training sessions for emergency responders, businesses, and community members upon request. You can contact CPR program coordinator Carol Forner to learn when the next session will occur or how to schedule your own.