Last week, Rena and I took a two-day First Aid/CPR/AED Instructor course at the American Red Cross headquarters in Baltimore. Stuart initially wanted Rena to take the class so she would be able to certify our Instructors at the DSC as part of her role as The DSC’s new Sailing Education Manager. However, early Tuesday morning I got a call from Stuart saying that 15 people dropped out of the class and Rena was the only participant who showed up. The course instructor would have to cancel if nobody else attended. I volunteered to enroll and quickly drove north to the headquarters to join Rena in a two-day immersive course of intense learning. 

We spent day one going through the Instructor Manual and reviewing many of the skills which we would soon be teaching to others. Due to the unique situation we are in regarding COVID-19, we had to learn several social distancing approaches, such as for CPR, controlling bleeding and managing a choking victim. 

That evening, although we were both weary  from a full day of class, we went home and spent another few hours studying and preparing for our “teach-back” presentations the next day. Rena and I had to give three different presentations and then pass a written test. I am pleased to share that both of us passed the course and are now certified to teach First Aid/CPR/AED courses to The DSC Community. The feedback we received from our instructor as well as from each other was invaluable. And it was terrific to collaborate and target our learning to the DSC environment

We are both looking forward to teaching First AID/CPR/AED classes at the DSC for our Instructors, Summer Camp staff and members. We are hoping to offer our first class in June, conditions depending. Stay tuned for more details, and thank you for taking safety seriously!