SANDGATE, Vt. (WCAX) – Learning life-saving measures is crucial in times of emergency, but it’s even more important in rural areas, where the closest first responder could be over an hour away.
“Preparedness is about tragedies but it’s about being empowered in feeling like you have skills you can use when these tragedies arise,” Dee Myrvang of VT. Health Dept. said.
After a fatal fire struck Sandgate on New Year’s Day, some residents are coming together to try and learn how to prevent a future tragedy.
Many spent Saturday at the town’s office learning how to perform Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation or CPR – taking the steps to be prepared.
”We had more people sign up for today because they didn’t want to focus on the tragedy as much as focusing on what can we do to be better prepared in the future,” Myrvang said.
The Medical Reserve Corps, made up of volunteers who work both in and out of healthcare, are in charge of educating locals on how to perform CPR and use an AED.
“To give them feedback allow them to really be confident in their skills as they go out and there’s not somebody whose a medical provider around when somebody has an emergency,” Martha Cornwell, from the Medical Reserve Corp of Southwest Vt. said.
“It’s about taking the initiative to say I want to learn some skills so that I can help my neighbor or I can help my community in times of trouble,” Myrvang said.
Like many rural town across the state, access to emergency services are limited.
So taking the steps to learn how to save a life could give first responders the critical seconds they need.
“Having these skills allows for kind of critical time that people are until more advanced providers can get here,” Cornwell said.
Myrvang called Sandgate residents some of the most prepared, and many continue to add onto their education to help in a life-saving situation.
Many are set to learn more about overdose prevention in February.