If you thought CPR training was a waste of time you should check out the latest news from Greenville County, SC. A little boy, aged 3 was pulled from the swimming pool. He was unconscious and not breathing so the teenage lifeguard on duty at the time started CPR. Seemingly the boy had no pulse and there is no reports of an AED device being used.

There were over 200 children in the pool that day and it is as yet unclear why the little boy got into difficulties. It was reported that he wasn't wearing a life jacket or any floatation aid but then that would not be unusual especially when there were 13 lifeguards on duty.

Goodness knows how the staff from the preschool day camp feel not to mention the boys parents who now face a vigil at the hospital hoping that their son will recover. The initial signs are good and the medics have credited the teenagers fast response as being one of the reasons this little boy has a chance to live. We all know that he would have definitely died at the scene had nobody gone to his aid.

We know that giving CPR doesnt mean that a child or any other victim will survive. It depends on a lot of things including the extent of the injuries the victim sustained if for example, they were involved in a car accident. But we do know that giving cardiopulmonary resuscitation does help. It often buys the victim a vital few minutes during which the emergency services can arrive to provide proper medical attention.

It is tragic cases like these that happen every day in the USA that should drive home the argument that we all need to learn how to do CPR. What would you do if you had been at the pool and no lifeguard was present. It is never enough to believe that someone else will be able to help. There may only be you so get yourself down to the American Red Cross today to find out more about their courses. The American Heart Association CPR online course is also worth looking at although it is strongly recommended that you follow up with a skills practice and assessment day at your local AHA center. You will need to do this if you want your CPR certificate for your employer but it is worth doing anyway. You don't want your first time to practice CPR to be on a live victim!