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Saving Lives Two Breaths At A Time

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By SUZANNE M. SCHMIDT IN THE LOOP

Published: March 11, 2009

Educators Lonnie Clark and Val Thomopalos aim to make Central Pasco County a S.A.F.E. place to live.

As the owners of Safety and Fitness Educators, Clark and Thomopalos offer American Red Cross classes in CPR and other lifesaving courses monthly at the Land O' Lakes Recreation Complex. They are also certified to teach others how to use an automated external defibrillator, or AED for short.

"We teach people what to do in an emergency situation," Clark said. "It is important to teach people how to save lives because 350,000 people will die this year of cardiac arrest and 7,000 of those people will be children. You only have four minutes to save somebody."

Clark said she and Thomopalos use hands-on methods to teach cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the stomach thrust method to stop choking and other lifesaving skills. Students who enroll in their one-day classes walk out with certification in hand, which Clark said is the biggest advantage of taking classes with her and Thomopalos.

"The class helps a person know what to do in an emergency situation so they are not just freaking out," Clark said. "We can teach from fifth-graders up. All they have to be able to do is read the book and they can take the class."

Clark and Thomopalos said they are really excited to now offer CPR/AED for professional rescuers and healthcare providers. This course comes with a two-year certification.

Robin Hilgenberg of Land O' Lakes has been certified in CPR since 1973 when she was a lifeguard in high school. When she first started to take CPR courses, the focus was more on the breaths going in but now the chest compressions are more important, she said.

"CPR classes have changed so much since I was first certified," Hilgenberg said. "There are not as many steps now, which I think is good. They have taken it and simplified it to the point that anyone should be able to do it. Through research, they have found ways to be more efficient and I think that is great."

Even though she has to be certified for her job as a physical education teacher in Hillsborough and as a coach for the Land O' Lakes Lightning swim team, she said she would continue to get certified anyway.

"It makes me feel like I know how to react to emergency situations," Hilgenberg said. "It increases my confidence to be able to do what needs to be done to help someone."

Phil Phillips is the other coach for the Land O' Lakes Lightning swim team. He has been certified on and off since 1982.

"I do it so I can be prepared in case someone needs help," Phillips said. "I hope I will never have to use it, but I want to be prepared. From what I learned, the most important thing is to get someone to call 911 then after that you are just trying to keep the person alive until help can get there."

S.A.F.E. offers CPR/AED for adults, children and infants and CPR/AED and first aid for adults, children and infants at the recreation complex, 3032 Collier Parkway. For information, visit SafeAED.com.

Reporter Suzanne M. Schmidt can be reached at (813) 948-4288 or sschmidt@mediageneral.com.

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