by Tom SirmonsWritten by Tom SirmonsUpdated October 2026 with current CPR and AED guidance. When paramedics arrived at Sarah Zumwalt Middle School in Dallas, they found a teacher in cardiac arrest. His heart was in ventricular fibrillation, or VF, a dangerous rhythm that can cause the heart to stop pumping blood effectively. But something important had already […]
by Benjamin RousseyWritten by Benjamin RousseyUpdated October 2026 with verified details from the 2011 Cook County Courthouse shooting. On December 15, 2011, a violent shooting inside the Cook County Courthouse in Grand Marais, Minnesota tested how quickly ordinary workplace training can turn into action. A man who had just been convicted of third-degree criminal sexual conduct returned […]
by Leonard TelfordUpdated October 2026 with current seizure First Aid guidance. A seizure can be frightening to witness, especially if you have never seen one before. A person may suddenly lose awareness, fall, stiffen, jerk, stare, or become confused. The most important thing a first aider can do is stay calm and focus on seizure First Aid. […]
by Tom SirmonsWritten by Tom SirmonsUpdated October 2026 with current CPR and AED guidance. A half-marathon is supposed to end with a finish line, a medal, and a deep breath. For one 40-year-old runner in San Jose, California, the real finish line became something else entirely. According to the original account, he was only about a tenth […]
by Susan PattersonWritten by Susan PattersonUpdated October 2026 with current hiking-safety and First Aid guidance. A hike can be one of the best ways to spend a day outdoors. It can also go sideways surprisingly fast. A wrong turn, sudden storm, twisted ankle, heat illness, or empty water bottle can turn an easy afternoon hike into a […]
by Tom SirmonsWritten by Tom SirmonsUpdated October 2026 with current drowning-resuscitation guidance. A day at the beach turned into a life-threatening emergency when a Chicago father and his 14-year-old daughter were caught in rough water off St. Joseph, Michigan. The daughter began struggling in waves reported to be several feet high. Her father, Fidel Chavez, went into […]
by Tom SirmonsWritten by Tom SirmonsUpdated October 2026 with verified details and current CPR guidance. You are never too young to learn CPR. In May 2009, 15-year-old Sara Broski proved that in a very real way when a woman suddenly collapsed aboard a BART train in the San Francisco Bay Area. Sara had completed CPR training only […]
by Tom SirmonsWritten by Tom SirmonsUpdated October 2026 with verified details and current CPR and emergency-scene safety guidance. On February 28, 2011, Edward Johansen was driving along Route 140 in Norton, Massachusetts, when he witnessed a frightening crash. A vehicle struck a utility pole hard enough to bring down electrical wires. Inside was a driver who would […]
by Tom SirmonsUpdated October 2026 with current CPR and AED guidance. A normal dinner out turned into a life-or-death emergency in Cayucos, California, when a 74-year-old man suddenly collapsed on a sidewalk. Nearby bystanders rushed to help. Then law enforcement arrived with an automated external defibrillator, or AED. The combination of bystander CPR and early AED use […]
by Tom SirmonsUpdated September 2026 with current CPR and AED guidance. The emergency call to Marin County, California, sounded routine: “Bicyclist down.” Firefighters and paramedics respond to plenty of calls involving cyclists, many of them relatively minor. This one was different. When emergency responders arrived, they found a cyclist in cardiac arrest and a nearby person already […]
by Benjamin RousseyUpdated September 2026 to reflect current CPR, AED, and trauma-response guidance. A serious car crash can become a medical emergency in seconds. For Robert Hill, what began as a routine drive home with his two children turned into a life-or-death rescue when another driver crashed into a minivan at an intersection. The crash was violent […]
by Tom SirmonsUpdated September 2026 with additional details from contemporary news reports and current CPR information. Sometimes the person who saves a life just happens to be in the right place at exactly the right moment. On April 30, 2011, 37-year-old Teresa McCoy was competing in the Meek and Mighty Triathlon in St. Petersburg, Florida, part of […]
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by Mollie BowmanCardiac arrest is often caused by an abnormal heart rhythm called ventricular fibrillation (VF).
by Troy BowmanNormandale Community College Students: BLS CPR Certification in Minnesota If you’re a Normandale Community College student who needs CPR certification for nursing or another healthcare program, In-Pulse CPR offers convenient American Heart Association BLS Provider classes throughout the Twin Cities. Normandale’s current 2026 Nursing Information Packet requires admitted nursing students to submit a current Basic […]