It is hard to believe that yet another year has passed and we are now in 2012. As time goes on and technology continues to advance, CPR and First Aid training are advancing as well.

The first city to teach and promote resuscitation was Amsterdam, located in the heart of the European Enlightenment and also a city of canals—therefore a city with many drownings – as many as 400 per year. Death from cardiac disease was still not prevalent and sudden deaths were mostly from accidents. In August 1767 a few wealthy and civic-minded citizens gathered to form the Society for Recovery of Drowned Persons. This society was the first organised effort to respond to sudden death. Within 4 years of its founding, the society in Amsterdam claimed that 150 persons were saved by their recommendations. Their techniques involved a range of methods to stimulate the body. As time went on and science progressed, techniques were improved and added greatly increasing the number of lives saved. Today millions of lives have been saved in part to CPR and/or First Aid training. The curriculum continues to be updated every 5 years allowing for the newest in science to be incorporated in training sessions. Options for taking a classroom based course of only a few hours as well as online instruction are now available. Something as simple as pushing in the center of the chest until 911 rescuers arrive really can save a life. Best of wishes to everyone in this new year. It is a great time to be alive.