Sandy Springs Fire Rescue Department Captains Come
To The Epstein School To Teach Students Life Saving Skills

Three Sandy Springs Fire Rescue Department Captains, Donald Wilbanks, Shannon Cichosz and Jason Taylor came to The Epstein School to provide fifty-two 6th grade middle school students with valuable CPR and AED training.

“CPR and AED skills help save lives. Knowing these skills and being able to react quickly and appropriately in an emergency can make the difference between life and death,” stated Captain Donald Wilbanks. 

“The students learned what steps to take when for some reason a person stops breathing, or is choking on food, and the importance of staying calm.  These important steps taken early increases the rate of survival and are the first line of defense in helping victims while waiting for emergency medical personnel to arrive,” stated The Epstein School’s Registered Nurse, Joyce Tritt RN, a long-time advocate for CPR & AED training, who invited the Sandy Springs Fire Rescue Department to administer the training. 

The Epstein School was designated a Heart Safe School in 2008 by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta for having a first response team, its faculty and staff trained and certified in CPR, and implementing a quality AED Program.

In addition, the school along with neighborhood home owner associations, has sponsored CPR & AED training for parents and the local community three times in the last twelve months.

Thanks to the City of Sandy Springs in conjunction with the American Heart Association, each student also received their own CPR kit, complete with a CPR learning manikin, skills practice DVD, CPR & AED reminder cards and more.

Public access to information and getting residents of the City of Sandy Springs trained in CPR & AED has long been an important goal for Fire Department Chief Jack McElfish, Mayor Eva Galambos and City Council members.  Recently, the City of Sandy Springs was named a Heart Ready City by the American Heart Association, because the city demonstrated leadership and commitment to saving lives through implementation of model emergency cardiovascular programs and lead the way with their automated external defibrillator (AED) programs.

To learn more about The Epstein School, a nationally-recognized
independent school visit the website: www.epsteinatlanta.org.