Community Education Programs
CPR Educational Program
As a part of our mission to educate the public, and with the support of grants from Strowd Roses Inc and public donations, South Orange Rescue Squad offers free CPR and AED (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Automated External Defibrillator) classes to individuals and groups within Orange County, North Carolina.
The CPR Program was established in 2007 as a certified AHA Training Site. Since 2010 the CPR Program has taught more than 10,000 community members with around 70 classes each year. The CPR Program has taught classes for a number of different groups, including UNC-CH faculty and staff (School of Government, Morehead Planetarium, ROTC officers), local fire and EMS departments (Orange Grove, Efland, New Hope, Carrboro FDs), NC Wildlife Resources Commission, and the NC Supreme Court.
Classes:
Our volunteer American Heart Association (AHA) Instructors teach Basic Life Support for the Health Care Provider, Heartsaver CPR certification classes for those who need a certification for work or volunteering, Heartsaver First Aid, and CPR for Family and Friends. Free CPR and First Aid classes are open to the general public are offered each month. If you are taking a certification course and are able to make a donation, your AHA student workbook and course completion card costs us $26 per student and we welcome donations to help cover these costs.
Which CPR class should I take?
CPR for Family and Friends
CPR for Family and Friends is for people who want to learn life-saving skills but don’t need a CPR certification card. This course is ideal for children, new parents, grandparents, and anyone who would like to learn how to perform high quality CPR and how to use an AED. This class takes 1-2 hours.
HeartSaver CPR
The HeartSaver CPR course is designed for individuals who need to be CPR and AED certified for their job but are not healthcare providers. The HeartSaver CPR course is meant for individuals who need to call 911 in the event of an emergency. This class takes 2-3 hours.
HeartSaver First Aid
The HeartSaver First Aid course is useful for camp counselors, foster parents, and other who need training and a certification card in order to take care of others. It discusses how to help in environmental, medical, and traumatic emergencies, including practicing the use of epi-pens, wound care, and splinting. This class takes 3 hours.
BLS for Healthcare Providers
BLS for HCP covers 1-rescuer and 2-rescuer CPR and AHA guidelines for the use of medical equipment (advanced airways and bag-valve-masks). Healthcare providers (EMT, firefighter, nurses, CNAs) are professionals that provide advanced care to patients in a clinical setting. Students who complete this course receive a Healthcare Provider CPR certification card. This class takes 4 hours.
Class Registration For Individuals:
SORS offers monthly classes at our station open to individuals. To check our schedule of upcoming classes and to register please visit our schedule on Sign Up Genius:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4DA9A623A3FCC61-48253852-march
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4DA9A623A3FCC61-48783577-april
If you have trouble or don’t see a class that works for you, please email us at cpr@sors.us.
To give a donation to help cover your AHA costs, visit: https://donorbox.org/cpr-class-donations
Class Registration For Groups:
If you are interested in organizing a CPR class for your group or organization please email cpr@sors.us to let us know. Please tell us what type of class you’d like and and give us a few potential dates that work for your group.
We prefer to offer CPR classes at our station in Carrboro (202 Roberson Street, Carrboro NC 27510). If you are unable to come to SORS, we sometimes teach classes offsite at your location. Your facility would need to have enough space to practice CPR skills on the floor and a way to show our instructional video such as a TV/DVD player with speakers or DYD player with a projector and speakers.
When Attending Classes:
There is no cost or fee for this course, but if you are taking a certification course and are able to make a donation, we really appreciate it. Your AHA student workbook and AHA certification card cost us $26 per person. You do not need to bring anything to the class - everything you need will be provided. Part of the class will involve practicing compressions with a manikin placed on the floor so please wear comfortable clothing. If you are unable to practice compressions on the floor for any reason, we will be more than happy to make accommodations for you. If you have any question or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the CPR program at cpr@sors.us. We look forward to seeing you at your South Orange Rescue Squad CPR course.
COVID Safety Update 2023:
As local health care providers we strongly encourage all of our neighbors to get your covid and flu vaccinations as soon as possible to protect yourself, to help stop the spread of corona and flu viruses, and to protect us when you come to our classes. Please stay home if you are sick or are aware of a recent covid diagnosis. We have reduced our classroom maximum to 20 students in order to facilitate social distancing. We are following UNC Healthcare’s lead where the wearing of masks is currently optional in training situations. Please consider wearing a high quality tight fitting mask if you are at high risk for complications from getting sick. We look forward to seeing you at SORS and learning CPR together!
Directions to South Orange Rescue Squad: (202 Roberson Street, Carrboro NC 27510)
From Franklin Street heading going west: Take Franklin Street west toward Carrboro. Franklin Street will merge with Rosemary to form Main Street. Drive 0.1 miles on Main Street in Carrboro. Turn left onto Roberson Street immediately after crossing railroad tracks. Continue on Roberson Street as it veers right. South Orange Rescue Squad is immediately on the left. There are two doors on the front of our building facing Roberson Street. Use the far right door. Classes are held upstairs.
From US-54 going west: take the Merritt Mill Road/South Greensboro Street exit on US-54. Turn left at the end of the exit ramp on Merritt Mill Road. Turn right on South Greensboro Street at the next stoplight. Continue on South Greensboro Street for 0.5 mile and turn right on Roberson Street. South Orange Rescue Squad will be on your right. When you face the front of our building from Roberson Street, there are two doors. Use the far right door. Classes are held upstairs.
Contact the CPR Program:
SORS CPR program handles all individual and group class requests via email. If you have questions regarding the appropriate class for you, AHA CPR certification cards, or available classes please email cpr@sors.us. Please realize that we receive a large volume of CPR requests, and our volunteers respond to emails as quickly as possible.