The Metchosin fire department is making sure West Shore residents are prepared for any emergency by offering free CPR classes, and starter emergency kits for $35.
The CPR level C course covers infant, child and adult CPR, choking and training on automated external defibrillators (AED). The department also offers general safety classes for parents with infants.
The department doesn’t schedule CPR classes on specific dates, said Fire Chief Stephanie Dunlop, who also serves as emergency program co-ordinator for Metchosin.
Instead, if someone’s interested, Dunlop suggests they get a group of about four or six people together and call the department to schedule a training time.
“We can do (the classes) weeknights or weekends as well,” she said. “We’re pretty flexible with time.”
And for those who want to get started on building their emergency kit, the fire department has put together a small kit with an assortment of basic supplies, including water, a small Leatherman tool, flashlight, small first aid kit and ice pack.
“They’re just a starter kit,” said Dunlop, adding there are many different kinds of emergency kits. For example, one designed for when residents need to stay home would differ from one used when being evacuated to a shelter.
“The more important one is that grab-and-go kit,” she said. “That has different stuff like insurance papers, legal documents, medications, pet food.”
The Metchosin emergency program outlines the necessities for all the different kinds of kits on their website, as well as FAQ about varying types of emergencies and how to be prepared.
For more information, including emergency checklists, visit metchosinemergencyprogram.ca.
acowan@goldstreamgazette.com