In 2022, supporting local businesses is more important than ever. The local Chamber of Commerce is a valuable resource for local businesses, and that is why we are highlighting a different member of the Chamber every month. The Chamber of Commerce is a regional resource that allows local businesses to reach out and get information in regards to business, community resources and the law. The Chamber also helps you learn more about businesses in the community and the community as a whole. Whether you’re just starting out or are running a million dollar company, the Chamber can help your business be its best. That is why every month we are highlighting a different Chamber Member of the Month!
This month’s Chamber Member of the Month is Keep the Beat CPR and First Aid. I talked to Caitlin Brenner, owner of KTB, about the courses they offer, CPR myths and more!
How did KTB get started?
KTB was initially established in 1995; my husband and I acquired the company in 2015. My husband started as an instructor with KTB and fell in love with teaching CPR. He is a paramedic with over 20 years of experience so to be able to pass along the importance of CPR training through teaching has been extremely rewarding. We acquired KTB a little over 7 years ago and have enjoyed growing our company with new class offerings and many new students.
You all offer a really wide variety of courses. Could you give me a brief rundown on what the different categories of courses are?
The variety of our class offerings can be categorized as: Healthcare Professionals, Workplace Safety, and Personal Development. For our healthcare professionals, we offer BLS Provider, ACLS Provider & PALS Provider courses. Our ACLS & PALS Provider courses are taught by paramedics with decades of experience between them so these students receive information from experienced providers, which adds so much value to their training. We also have Bloodborne Pathogens available for our healthcare providers and General Industry students, as needed.
For our Workplace Safety courses, we offer Basic CPR AED & First Aid, Fire Extinguisher Safety Training, and AVERT: Active Violence Emergency Response Training. Our CPR AED and First Aid courses can be completed together or separately; and can be completed in a traditional classroom setting or in a blended learning format (an online course and an in-person skills session). I personally love our Fire Extinguisher Safety Training program as we use simulated fire scenarios which allows us to offer this class in a clean, safe way and indoors, any time of the year. I am very happy to be able to offer our AVERT class to folks! AVERT addresses active assailant and advanced bleeding control and is a class that is beneficial to everyone – literally EVERYONE!
Our Personal Development classes include Wilderness First Aid and CABS: Child & Babysitting Safety. Our Wilderness First Aid class is taught by an Eagle Scout and is often sought by local Boy Scout troops. It is also a great class for groups of folks that know they will be out far away from medical assistance. Our CABS class is a super fun way to introduce teens to the world of babysitting and it helps to engage their entrepreneurial minds!
I’m guessing a lot of people who use your training do so for work. Do you have a lot of people come in just to learn the skills? Could you say why these skills are important for lay people to have?
We absolutely do have students come to us for CPR training just because they want to learn how to save a life. I love when these folks come in because there is always a glow of confidence and empowerment by the time class is over. Learning CPR is a simple way to learn life saving skills that could help anyone in your life.
Have you heard any stories from people you’ve trained about using techniques taught in class to save a life?
Every so often we have students come into class and tell us that they have had to do CPR and they always say “I’m glad I took your class.” They are always so grateful that they knew exactly what they needed to do and how to help someone.
Any common CPR/first aid myths you’d like to dispel?
Never be afraid to push too deep! When performing compressions during CPR, never be afraid to push too deep. It may take more effort than you think but don’t let that stop you from giving good quality chest compressions. Bystanders, the folks in our classes, are the ones starting CPR as soon as possible and saving lives and it is amazing!
If you are interested in learning more about Keep the Beat you can go to their website at: www.ktbtraining.net. If you would like to learn more about the Chamber of Commerce you can go to their website here: www.qacchamber.com.