When the Killingworth Ambulance Association ran its first-ever “Friends and Family” CPR classes last year, instructor Pat Miller had no trouble filling the three-hour classes. OK, so each was limited to six students. But waiting lists were not uncommon. In fact, the response was so overwhelming that when the course ended in late September, Miller decided something had to change if she were to hold the class again.
Well, something will.
Not only will Miller host the “Friends and Family” course again this summer, she will extend it from two months (August and September in 2025) to four (July through October) – with the first class scheduled for July 7. Everything else, however, remains the same from a year ago – including class size (a maximum of six), dates (every Tuesday of the week), place (KAA headquarters) and free admission to Killingworth residents and those who work or worship in town.
But the calendar? Big change there. It’s been expanded by two months.
“There were people last year who were too busy during the summer and said they’d rather have classes when school goes back,” said Miller, a former KAA EMT, “but that didn’t leave much time at the end of September. When I told them the classes weren’t running into the fall, they were disappointed. So, I told them, ‘Well, maybe next year we will do that, and make it easier for you.’ “
And so she has.
Miller admits that CPR training is “one of my passions,” and you don’t have to look far to understand why. It helped save her father’s life. It happened approximately 10 years ago when her father was hospitalized in Florida with congestive heart failure. Flying south to visit him, Miller was in the room when he suffered cardiac arrest – forcing her to run through each step of her CPR training before help arrived and her father was revived.
“CPR is literally a life-saving skill,” she said. “People have told me that before taking the class they had no idea what to do … but that afterward they felt they could offer help to someone in need. And that’s what this is all about. It’s about removing the fear from helping people. If you have someone in emergencies who knows what to do, the outcome can be much better.”
For years, Miller taught CPR classes for the KAA with Don McDougall, who passed away late last month. But then she inaugurated “Friends and Family” CPR in 2025, which she describes as “a less technical” course that covers adults, infants, children AED and choking, and the response convinced her that it should be more than continued; it should be expanded.
“Conventional courses,” she said, “are more designed for health care. They’re more in-depth. This is just what it says: For friends and family. It’s when the need presents itself and not necessarily for medical training. You never know when the opportunity will be put at your feet for a skill that might save a life, and that’s why I’d recommend the class. To quote the American Heart Association: ‘Because life is why.’ “
For more information about the CPR class, please contact Pat Miller at 203-314-3310.