4,000 Savannah residents to get CPR training

A Savannah retiree and paramedic expects to train 4,000 residents in CPR this weekend. Robert Trenkamp says, he's motivated by outrage over showing up at medical emergencies where people are standing around, doing nothing for victims of heart failure. He also says, he's seen too many examples of bystanders not recognizing signs of stroke.

The training will involve 83 volunteers and will take place in three ballrooms at the Savannah Civic Center on Saturday. A "mini mass training" of 500 people last year was the first step in what Trenkamp hopes will evolve into a nationwide movement. He has plans to do large CPR trainings next year in Ohio, New York and South Carolina.

Trenkamp says, two people die each day in Chatham County because bystanders don't know CPR. His father died of heart failure and he himself has had a heart attack. He says, bystanders cannot wait for the ambulance to arrive before performing CPR. It's often too late by that time.

The training will also involve teaching people to recognize signs of stroke. He says, letting someone rest is not the right response when a person is acting abnormally.