Marion, Metro hold fourth CPR certification class

Published 4:00 pm Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Marion residents, business owners and employees will gather at Town Hall Thursday as the Marion Police Department and Metro Ambulance partner to hold a fourth CPR certification class.

The classes, which began in March, started with wondering what would happen if someone had a cardiac emergency at a local business, church or event space, said Police Chief Randall Davis. A quick survey of business owners showed few people in town had formal training in CPR, and he decided that needed to change.

“I want to tell you right now, it’s been a great success,” he said. “It’s been really good.”

In the three previous classes, roughly 70 people have learned how to properly administer CPR and lifesaving assistance. Metro Ambulance Chief Operating Officer David Mapp previously explained CPR keeps blood circulating in the body, bringing fresh oxygen to the brain and buying time for emergency medical personnel to arrive. For those responding to the emergency, the difference between a patient with and without CPR is immediately obvious.

Medical emergencies can happen anywhere at any time, Davis said, and there’s no guarantee first responders will be nearby when the emergency strikes. By training members of the community in CPR, he said the town is becoming safer even as it continues to grow.

“The main thing is what we’re trying to do, again, is to make this a safer community,” Davis said. “And by doing this, you are making this community safe.”

As the chief of police for the town of Marion, Davis said his job is to do everything he possibly can to make the community safe. As a leader, it is also his responsibility to set a good example for others to follow.

“I’m going to try to help everyone that I can and be the example,” he said. “Sometimes we wonder why the kids are in trouble, and it starts with the leaders. And I’m going to be number one to take responsibility for it.”

Working with Metro, Davis said he plans to continue to hold the CPR classes as long as there is interest from the community. Additional classes to teach how to treat wounds and apply tourniquets may also be added at a later date, he said.

“That would be phase two, but we can’t seem to get out of phase one because people have been calling and wanting to get involved in this,” he said. “It’s been a success. It really has.”