2-year-old already familiar with CPR, AED training machines

“What do you say?”

“Clear!”

A tiny toddler in pink, pigtails in her hair, jumping into action.

Pumping as prompted; her beats right on time on an infant dummy, giving it CPR.

“Give two breaths.”

“She learned most of this stuff around 18 months, and before that,” proud dad and Central Valley CPR Owner and Instructor Chris Pietroforte said. 

Pietroforte is a CPR instructor on the side, and has worked in emergency medical services since before 9/11.

One day, while giving a class at home…

“She crawled up to the CPR mannequin, grabbed the face mask, and put it on the mannequin,” Pietroforte said. “She watches and she learns, and ever since then, she’s been just excelling in her skills.”

Monday, Saige Pietroforte wowed us, using two types of AED training machines.

Lifting up the dummy to apply those pads; waiting patiently to act.

Only reminded by dad, twice.

“What do you say,” Pietroforte asked? 

“Clear!” Saige confidently replied. 

Dad Chris says, Saige now knows several exercises, including how to use an EpiPen. 

She’ll still need to learn to recognize when to use her skills, with time, but, it’s a motivator.

“When she gets older, if something happens, she knows what to do, and how to act in an emergency,” Pietroforte said of his almost 3-year-old. “Changed my life, and touched many people, too.”

Saige did say she wants to help with “big owies” when she grows up; we’re all in good hands, in that case.

If you’d like to get CPR training and mention this story, you can get $5 off the training price.

Megan Rupe, reporting.