Calgary First Aid is hosting workshops throughout February -- Heart Month -- where people can learn the basics of CPR from trained professionals. Mark Kascha, owner of Vancouver First Aid and Calgary First Aid, said the four-hour sessions introduce hands-only CPR, AED (Automated External Defibrillator) basics and how to support someone in medical distress until EMS arrives. They’re open to the public, non-certifying and completely free of charge. “We’re targeting everybody, we want everybody to take these courses,” he said. “The more awareness that we can bring in, teaching people not to be scared and teaching them skills to help in any of these circumstances until EMS gets there - you’re making a huge difference in their chances of survival.” Kascha said a person never knows when they’re going to be called upon to help someone in distress. “It can happen to anyone,” he said. “And the most important thing is to know how to help, know that you can help and to understand the barriers to helping and getting past those barriers.” Fear First responders say fear plays a big role in an emergency: fear the injured person is experiencing and fear from the care provider who has to react. Kascha said knowledge and practice help alleviate those emotions for both parties. On January 15, 2026, Kascha’s training was called upon when he was skiing at Cypress Mountain and came across someone in medical distress. “That was the first major incident for me, where I had to offer somebody CPR,” he said. “And decades of practice definitely jumped in, there was no fear except for getting this done as best as I could.” He said offering free workshops across Western Canada is his way of thanking the people who helped in that emergency and encouraging others to seek training to save a life. Prepared to help First aid instructor Robert Kamis is seeing people from all walks of life in his free workshops, those who need to take the training for work, and others who want to be prepared to help whenever they’re called upon. “So in the four hours, we teach you all of the basic skills of first aid, everything from choking to CPR,” he said. “The use of the AED machine and how to deal with things like blood or bleeding or shock or burns, all the kinds of really common first aid things that people will experience in the home and in their work environment.” Kamis says even though first aid can be a tough subject, he tries to make it fun for people in class to help them remember their training. “We encourage, especially at Heart Month, for everybody to take the time to learn a little bit about basic first aid,” he said. “If somebody is in medical distress and they need help, you can save somebody’s life.” Learn more about the free workshops here.
