The basketball referee crumbled to the floor of the court, lifeless. The game between the Glass City Wranglers of Toledo and the Jamestown Jackals of New York came to an abrupt halt, as players and spectators wondered what was wrong.

Myles Copeland did not wait.

Myles is a Toledo firefighter – and was playing with the Wranglers during his off hours when referee John Scully suffered cardiac arrest – something Myles was trained to treat. He immediately began CPR, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, performing chest compressions while awaiting the arrival of emergency medical personnel, and that likely saved John’s life.

Myles Copeland won an Acts of Courage award from the American Red Cross of Western Lake Erie for his swift intervention, as did Lt. Jim Schulty, also with the Toledo Fire Department. Jim performed CPR on a fellow hockey player after his heart stopped beating and is also credited with saving a life.

These are just two examples of the value of knowing how to perform CPR, and there’s no better time to highlight these stores, as National CPR + AED Awareness week begins today. And while Myles and Jim are professional firefighters and have had on-the-job training, anyone can be trained to help save lives with CPR and an AED.

More than 350,000 people suffer a cardiac arrest annually, but only 9% survive.

Every second counts when responding to a cardiac arrest. If you see someone suddenly collapse, call 911, send someone for the AED and begin CPR.

That’s what Lindsey and Nicole Bechter did while they were serving as referees at a volleyball court in Cuyahoga Falls last summer. A player collapsed, and the sisters took turns performing CPR until the ambulance arrived.

Even if you aren’t trained, doing chest compressions (pushing hard and fast in the center of the chest) is better than doing nothing. It’s what Jim Kuhn did. The bus driver for the city of Wadsworth helped keep a passenger alive by pushing down on the man’s chest after he collapsed when trying to board the bus last November. For their lifesaving actions, Jim, Lindsey and Nicole received Acts of Courage awards from the Red Cross of Greater Akron and the Mahoning Valley.

Acts of Courage award winner Jim Kuhn, center, with board member Ryan Lang, left, and committee chair Tara Silva, right.

You can get trained by visiting redcross.org/take-a-class. At the very least, learn how to perform hands- only CPR.

Every second counts in cardiac arrest. If you see someone collapse without warning, know your “Cardiac Arrest 1‐2‐3.”

Call 9‐1‐1 and get the AED
Start CPR
Use an AED

CPRSavesLives

Edited and posted by Ryan Lang, Red Cross board member and volunteer

By Chris Chmura, American Red Cross volunteer

The American Red Cross celebrates the work and support of the hundreds of thousands of volunteers during National Volunteer Week. Red Cross volunteers fulfill many roles from coordinating blood drives, to responding to home fires in the middle of the night, to serving as board members and many more.

Betsy Sterling volunteers with the Red Cross of Heartland, Stark and Muskingum Lakes. Betsy met chapter Executive Director Kim Kroh years ago at a charity event called Day of Caring and they have supported each other ever since.

Betsy is a Tiffany Circle member, current board chair (past 9 years), an every 56-day blood donor, hosts regular blood drives at her company, and a former BASH co-chair (two years in a row). BASH is an annual fundraiser for the chapter which raised $80,000 in 2022. Monies raised by this event are used to support the chapter’s work in the local community:

Installing free, life-saving smoke alarms
Saving lives through health and safety training in CPR/First id/AED & Aquatics Training
Providing shelter, clothing, food, comfort & hope to families devastated by home fires
Supporting U.S. service men and women during an emergency
Supplying critical blood, platelets, and plasma to patients in area hospitals

In 2023, the chapter is combining the BASH fund raiser with the annual Festival of Trees to create a unique event! https://www.redcross.org/local/ohio/northern-ohio/about-us/news-and-events/events/festival-of-trees.html

The Tiffany Circle is a close group of people that donates their own personal funds to support the Red Cross.

Betsy and her family are true believers in giving back to their community. She is a third-generation member of the Sterling family Beaver Excavating Company. Community service has played a key role in shaping the long history of community involvement that Beaver Excavating’s ownership and employees have created. Contributions not only include personal time and money, but also have included many donations of construction services, labor, and materials.

Nationally, the Red Cross has more than 200,000 volunteers, which makes up more than 90 percent of the workforce. The Heartland, Stark and Muskingum Lakes Chapter is thankful to have humble volunteers like Betsy Sterling. Her time is extremely valuable because she works in her family business, takes time to volunteer for several charities, and perhaps most importantly is a mom.

Posted by Ryan Lang, Red Cross board member and volunteer

NOHredcross

American Red Cross of Northern Ohio Region

Tag Archives: CPR and AED Training

Learn how to save a life during National CPR + AED Week

CPRSavesLives

This volunteer donates time, talent and treasure