BLAND — Residents of Bland and the surrounding area will have an opportunity to receive American Red Cross–certified cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), automated external defibrillator (AED) and first aid training when Behind the Badge Personal Defense brings its program to the community later this month.

The Adult and Pediatric CPR-AED-First Aid-Life Threatening Bleeding course will be held from approximately 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 31, at the Armed Missouri Inc. training facility located at 2812 Mt. Sterling Road, just outside Mount Sterling in Osage County. The cost for the student-level course is $125 per participant. An instructor-level course is priced at $300 and scheduled from approximately 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 1, with instruction taking place throughout the day.

Chris Brooks, founder of Behind the Badge Personal Defense, said the decision to offer the class locally is rooted in a belief that lifesaving skills should be widely held by everyday citizens.

“As with all the training programs we offer, we are prompted to offer these classes because we believe there is a real need for people to possess these potentially life-saving skills,” Brooks said.

He added that emergencies occur without warning.

“You don’t get to choose the time, place or circumstances under which a medical emergency will occur,” he said.

Participants in the student-level course will learn up-to-date adult and pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation, proper use of an automated external defibrillator and first aid skills including choking response, sudden medical emergencies and techniques for controlling life-threatening bleeding. Instruction will also cover CPR techniques for adults and infants, effective AED use during cardiac emergencies and first aid basics such as treating burns, cuts, fractures and allergic reactions while waiting for professional medical assistance. Students who successfully complete the class will receive an American Red Cross certificate that is valid for a two-year period.

The instructor-level course offered on the second day is designed for participants who wish to teach CPR and first aid and requires candidates to demonstrate a strong understanding of American Red Cross principles and proper instructional methods. Instructor certifications are valid for a two-year period, and instructors may be required to maintain basic provider-level certification and meet teaching and renewal requirements to remain in good standing.

Brooks said the training is particularly important in rural communities such as Bland, where emergency response times can be significantly longer than in urban areas.

“Typical rural response times are around ten to fifteen minutes for first responders and can be upwards of thirty-plus minutes for an ambulance response,” Brooks said.

He noted that those delays make early intervention by bystanders especially critical in life-threatening situations.

Brooks said, “Statistics prove that providing proper care before EMS arrives could prevent as much as fifty-nine percent of deaths caused by injuries each year.”

He added that rapid CPR and AED use can greatly improve survival outcomes during cardiac arrest and that delays in care significantly reduce a person’s chance of survival.

Behind the Badge Personal Defense is law-enforcement owned and operated, a background Brooks said shapes how lifesaving skills are taught. Brooks has spent 30 years in law enforcement, three years as an EMT-B and more than a decade as a trainer and instructor.

“As a professional who has spent a lot of time out ‘in the field,’ I have seen so many medical emergencies where immediate intervention could have made a big difference,” Brooks said.

Although the company is widely known for firearms and personal defense training, Brooks said medical education is a central part of its broader mission of personal safety and preparedness.

“We are much more likely to need to use our medical training during our lifetime than we are to need to use a firearm for defensive purposes,” Brooks said.

He added that CPR and first aid training complements other forms of safety education, particularly in smaller towns and rural areas.

Brooks said that if interest remains strong, Behind the Badge Personal Defense and Armed Missouri Inc. plan to continue offering safety and preparedness programs in Bland and nearby communities. He added that the organizations are also willing to travel to off-site locations to provide training for individuals, organizations or groups who wish to host a class. Registration is required and can be done at www.behindthebadgepd.com.