Beginning in January, people who take CPR training from the American Red Cross will be certified for two years instead of one. The Red Cross hopes the change will lead to more widespread training.
Timothy Archuleta, Los Angeles Region Health and Safety Officer, said the change was made because scientific evidence studied by Red Cross experts found that students who took CPR/AED classes retained the majority of information during a two-year period. He also noted that other organizations, such as the American Heart Association, also have two-year certifications.
The Red Cross will offer guided, interactive online skills practice for students in between certifications.
“Businesses that are required by CAL-OSHA to offer CPR for employees will save money by not re-training employees every year, however, we hope this change will encourage companies to train more of their employees to be prepared for an emergency,” said Archuleta.
In addition to this course change, Archuleta said that the first aid training certification will be good for two years, rather than the three years which was valid in the past. That change was made because research showed students’ retention of knowledge from the first aid class dropped sharply between the second and third year.
In 2010, the Red Cross Los Angeles Region trained nearly 160,000 people in CPR, first aid and AED training.
“Our goal is to have one person in every household trained,” said Archuleta.
For more information or to register for classes, click here or call 1-800-627-7000.
Tags: cpr training
