CPR and AED Training Empowers Montgomery County Neighbors to Save Lives.

When a medical emergency strikes, every second counts—and survival can depend on the people nearby. Take10 Montgomery is empowering Montgomery County residents to act, teaching lifesaving hands-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) skills in just 10 minutes.

“About 70 to 80% of sudden cardiac arrests occur in or around the home, making this an inherent local issue,” says Lt. Irvin Smith, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) community action coordinator. “When community members are prepared to respond when one of their citizens experiences a sudden cardiac arrest, the results are profound. If CPR is given, that individual has a 10 to 12% greater survival rate.”

The goal of Take10 Montgomery is simple: to make lifesaving education as accessible as possible. Training is offered year-round in both English and Spanish and can be brought directly into homes, schools, workplaces, community centers, or places of worship. Participants leave each session with skills—and materials—that allow them to share CPR basics with friends, family, and neighbors, extending the impact of these sessions long after a workshop concludes.

Led by MCFRS, Take10 partners with MedStar Health, which provides public health expertise, community outreach, and vital connections to underserved populations. Through partnerships with organizations such as Alpha Kappa Alpha, a historically Black sorority founded at Howard University, the initiative reaches communities that have historically had limited access to health education.

Nationally, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) are less likely to receive bystander CPR, and these disparities in care translate directly to differences in survival rates. Take10 Montgomery is helping to close that gap—one community at a time.

Momentum for the initiative grew after millions watched professional football player, Buffalo Bills’ Damar Hamlin, collapse on national television from a cardiac arrest following a tackle—a stark reminder that emergencies can happen to anyone, anywhere. In response, MedStar Health physicians helped expand community training efforts across Montgomery County, especially in underserved neighborhoods.

The 2025 Take10 event marked the second year of this lifechanging initiative, bringing together MCFRS, MedStar Health, and community partners to train approximately 160 residents in a single, energizing day. Attendees heard from cardiac arrest survivors, received hands-on training and educational resources, and left confident to act in an emergency.

Take10 Montgomery and related programs have trained more than 3,000 residents in 2025. This progress moves the county closer to its goal of earning the HEARTSafe Community designation, which requires training at least 15% of the population and improving access to AEDs and emergency response systems.

“In those critical first few minutes, you have the power to keep a heart beating,” says Marianne Worley, Vice President of Public Relations and Communications for MedStar Health, who helps coordinate the partnership. “That’s what MedStar Health’s mission is all about—advancing health and helping communities thrive.”