Man puts CPR training to use; helps spread word

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - Levi Gashuri was a paratrooper in the Israeli Army. Now, he lives in New York, where he recently put some of his invaluable first aid skills to use.

”Two weeks ago I was in Times Square and by accident, a guy collapsed on the street and I gave him CPR and I brought him back to life,” said Gashuri.

So he was inspired to help spread CPR knowledge to his fellow parishioners at the Church of Scientology in Midtown.

He called the FDNY to come to teach a course at their church.

“Here we go. Press press press press press press press press. Arms straight, elbows locked, bend at your hips,” said FDNY EMT Elvis Velez as he demonstrated the proper way to administer CPR.

“Today I learned how to save a life. That was amazing,” said Lori Stein, one of the participants in the class. Sometimes you see an emergency and you just don’t know exactly what to do. And now I feel like I can actually do something effectively to help a person survive. That’s a great gift.”

“When you maintain 100 to 120 chest compressions per minute you are helping to build up pressure throughout the body to create the blood to circulate throughout their whole body and that’s what’s going to allow their main organs to be oxygenated,” said EMT Velez.

Velez and his team teach an average of two courses a day Monday through Friday. They also run health fairs on the weekends.

Any New Yorker in the five boroughs can sign up to receive a free CPR course, call: 718-281-3888 Or visit: http://www.fdnysmart.org/cpr/