The Pike County Emergency Management Association is sponsoring a class in CPR on Sept. 13. The class will give attendees the opportunity to get fully certified in cardio pulmonary resuscitation.

“I am a first responder,” said Jessi Smith, of the Pike County EMA.

“I encourage the public to get certified. It is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.”

The class will be held at the Banks Town Hall at 6 p.m. next Thursday. The class will be taught by a CARE Ambulance Service employee.

Smith said that CPR is a useful tool to have, and the American Heart Association agrees.

Four out of five cardiac arrests happen in the home. That means statistically, if a person is called on to administer CPR, the life they could save will be someone they know.

More than 383,000 cardiac arrests occur outside the hospital, each year and more than 88 percent are at home. The American Heart Association also reports that less than eight percent of people survive a heart attack outside the hospital.

Smith said she’ll also be taking part in the class and she urges others to as well.

“It is time for me to get re-certified, as well,” said Smith.

“It is a great trait to have, in case you find yourself in an emergency setting.”

Deadline to sign up for the class is Monday Sept. 10.

To enroll in the class, contact the Pike County EMA by phone at 334-566-8272, by email at pikeema1@gmail.com, or by using the Pike Co. EMA Facebook page.