Leon County's yearly Press the Chest CPR training workshop happened Saturday at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center. The idea is to give as many people as possible the ability to save lives without hesitation.
Peppy music was setting the tempo for a chest compression exercise. Hundreds of people were getting into the groove using plastic mannikins as practice subjects. But Tedd Watkins is a real person. Last year he had cardiac arrest as he was practicing golf at Tallahassee's Hilaman Course. Several passers-by came to his aid.
"And one of the boys, he knew CPR and administered it right there."
And Watkins says if that hadn't happened,
"I wouldn't be here talking to you right now."
Leon County EMS officials estimate more than 16,000 folks have learned those lifesaving techniques since the free annual sessions began in 2011.
