Saving lives is something the police do regularly, but helping others to save lives is a part of the service that often flies under the radar. So, when the Culver City police and Culver City Girl Scouts Troop 15365 got together on May 20 for CPR and First Aid training, the life-saving benefits might not immediately be measurable.
About 30 Culver City Girl Scouts and leaders, ages from 10 to adult, received training from CPR Los Angeles — a Red Cross affiliate. The girls, who are active in the community, learned life-saving skills, which could be applied to almost any activity, from camping and babysitting to lifeguarding.
“The goal of this class was to empower women in the community and give them the skills and tools necessary to address the leading killer of woman — cardiac problems,” said Heather Coombs Perez, one Troop 15365’s four leaders.
With the use of mannequins, the girls learned hands-on methods of how to assess an emergency situation, perform CPR, and activate the AED, Troop leaders said.
Besides cardiac-related emergencies, the girls received training to help identify other health conditions, including stroke, seizure, anaphylaxis, choking, hypothermia, heat exhaustion, and shock.
The Girl Scouts even partnered with each other to dress a wound, Scout leaders said.
“It’s [the Culver City Police Department’s] way of giving back to the community,” Lt. Troy Dunlap, Community and Media Relations, said of the Emergency training, of which the CCPD funded. “[And for the girls] to receive training in life-saving techniques
All participants earned a Red Cross certification at the end of the class.
“We thank the Culver City Police Officer’s Association and Culver City Police Management Group for sponsoring our Culver City Neighborhood Girl Scout CPR and First Aid certification opportunity,” Troop 15365 leaders said.