I gently touched her neck. My other hand brushed the back of her hair and cradled her head. As I placed my lips over hers, I delicately tilted her head upwards.

I blew into her mouth. Twice. My eyes concentrated on her chest. I watched carefully as her chest rose.

Then I drew back and looked up.

"Good work, Michael."

I stood up and returned to my seat.

"Only next time, remember to hold her nose when you blow into her mouth."

"Oh yea, I forgot about that. Okay."

The instructor nodded and motioned to the guy sitting to my right.

"Okay, Jeff, your turn," he said as he wiped the dummy's mouth with an alcohol cleansing pad.

I took a CPR certification class during my junior year of college. They gave me a card to carry around when I finished the class. I was so proud. I walked around for weeks, hoping morbidly that someone would start choking in front of me.

My certification has long since expired—it goes out in one year. And with good reason. I've forgotten the proper steps to take during CPR.

I remember a few key points though. I remember that before commencing CPR, first try to assess their condition. Then point to a specific person in the crowd (assuming there's a crowd around you) and tell him/her to call 911.

For more serious injuries, point to another person and tell him/her to call the fire department. The more different medical services you can contact, the higher the chance that someone will arrive in time.

Pointing to a specific person also ensures that action will be done. If you just yell "Somebody call 911!" there's a strong possibility that everyone will just stand there, waiting for someone else to do the job.

So I'm sitting here now, going through my old American Red Cross Community First Aid & Safety manual. I'm giving myself a quick refresher course.

After making sure that someone is calling for help, check if the person is conscious or not. If not, check to see if he/she has a pulse. Then check for breathing.

If the person is not breathing nor has a pulse, that's when you give CPR. If the person does have a pulse, you do a whole other set of procedures.

CPR basically means getting the heart going again.

Here's a quick crash course in CPR. Please note that I am no longer certified (maybe certifiable, but not certified). This info is strictly for a basic understanding of CPR—if you'd like to know more about this, please check out the links below.

  1. Find the person's breastbone. Feel for the notch where the lower ribs meet the breastbone.
  2. Place two fingers on the edge of the breastbone.
  3. Place the heel of your palm above these two fingers. This should be within the breastbone area.
  4. Place both of your hands on this area. Position your shoulders over your hands and kneel next to the person. This position allows you to make the most effective thrusts with your body weight to your advantage.
  5. Press down and compress the chest about 15 times, one right after another.
  6. Tilt the head back so the mouth opens up. Make sure the tongue falls to the bottom of the throat.
  7. Don't worry, nobody can swallow their own tongue; that's just a fairy tale invented by horror stories. The tongue has to fall to the bottom of the throat so it covers the entrance to the stomach and allows air into the lungs. If air goes into the stomach, you can induce vomit.
  8. Pinch the nose shut. Place your mouth over the person's mouth and blow gently. Make 2 slow breaths.
  9. Watch the chest to make sure it rises as it accepts your breaths.
  10. Do this process 4 times. Then recheck the pulse. If there is none, repeat the process 4 more times before rechecking for a pulse.
  11. Continue doing this until another trained person can take over, the EMS personnel arrive to care for the person, you are too exhausted to continue, or the scene becomes unsafe.
. . .

Do you know CPR?