Ludlow Ambulance Service offers a variety of American Heart Association (AHA) CPR/AED training courses. These include:

• Family & Friends - this ~1-hour course teaches the basics of CPR. It does not provide a certification card.

• Heartsaver - the Heartsaver family of courses are designed for anyone with little or no medical training who needs an OSHA-compliant course completion card for CPR training - or anyone who simply wants to be ready to respond to an emergency.

  • Heartsaver CPR AED - The Heartsaver CPR AED teaches participants how to perform CPR, and use an automated external defibrillator (AED) safely and effectively. Optional child and infant modules can be added upon request. This course with all modules takes ~3.5 hours.

  • Heartsaver First Aid - The Heartsaver First Aid course trains participants first aid basics for the most common first aid emergencies, including how to recognize them, how to call for help, and how to perform lifesaving skills. This course takes ~2.5 hours.

  • Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED - The Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED course encompases both the Heartsaver CPR AED and Heartsaver First Aid curriculums in a single course. Optional child and infant CPR modules can be added upon request. This course with all modules takes ~6 hours.

  • Heartsaver Pediatric First Aid CPR AED - The Heartsaver Pediatric First Aid CPR AED Course is for anyone responsible for the care and safety of children and infants, especially those who may need to respond in an emergency before professional help arrives. This includes Childcare workers, teachers and school staff, camp counselors, and coaches and other caregivers. This course takes ~6 hours.

• Basic Life Support (BLS) - The BLS Course is designed for healthcare professionals and other personnel who need to know how to perform CPR and other basic cardiovascular life support skills in a wide variety of in-hospital and out-of-hospital settings. The course takes ~4.5 hours.

All AHA courses, excluding Family & Friends, also support a blended learning approach, with students completing a self-guided online course, followed by hands-on skills with a Ludlow Ambulance Service instructor. Students complete the online course at their own pace, with the skills session lasting 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on class size and student experience.

WHAT IS CPR?

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) is a lifesaving technique used for individuals who’s heartbeat and breathing have stopped. Rescuers trained in CPR learn to restore a normal heartbeat and breathing in a patient with a medical emergency before emergency services arrive.