Haverford offers free CPR training for seniors Sept. 17

Haverford Township residents 65 and older can get free CPR certification training Thursday, Sept. 17, at the township building on Darby Road.

The three-hour class starts at 9 a.m. at 1014 Darby Road in Havertown. Participants will receive a certification card at completion, along with a "File of Life" emergency information card. Space is limited. Advance registration is required.

To sign up, call the Parks & Recreation Department at 610-446-9397.

The training is a partnership between the Haverford Township Senior Citizens Advisory Council (HTSCAC), the township's Emergency Medical Services division and the Parks & Recreation Department. Peggy Murr, the council's vice chair and its liaison to police, fire and EMS, has led the planning effort alongside Jim McCans, Haverford Township's EMS chief, according to council meeting minutes. Victor Barsky chairs the advisory council, and Eileen Mottola, the township's assistant manager of Parks and Recreation, serves as its staff liaison.

The idea was first raised at the council's March 17 meeting. At the April 21 meeting, members voted unanimously to move forward, with the council's budget covering about $20 per person in certification costs for roughly 25 participants. By the June 16 meeting, the council approved spending up to $500 total for up to 20 trainees, covering certification cards, juice, water and a light snack.

The Sept. 15 council agenda lists the CPR training as old business, with Murr set to provide an update at the council's regular meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15, in Room B at 1014 Darby Road.

Additional sessions may be offered if demand is high, the Delaware County Daily Times reported.

The advisory council also plans to publish a list of automated external defibrillator locations throughout the township in the fall and winter edition of the Hav-a-Good Times newsletter and to distribute that list at Haverford Township Day on Saturday, Oct. 3.

The HTSCAC meets the third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at 1014 Darby Road. Its next meetings after Sept. 15 are scheduled for Oct. 20 and Nov. 17.