Northern Illinois CPR and First Aid

06/06/2026

CPR buys time. AEDs save lives.

According to CARES data, public AED use has increased from 11.7% in 2016 to 13.9% in 2025—a positive step forward, but there's still work to be done.

When cardiac arrest strikes, every second matters. Early CPR helps keep blood flowing to vital organs, while early defibrillation with an AED can dramatically increase the chance of survival.

By increasing CPR training, improving AED access, and raising public awareness, we can build stronger, safer communities and help save more lives.

06/04/2026

Thank you to our returning customer Oakley Courts Assisted Living Community in Freeport for having us for BLS class today! Also WELCOME BACK to Instructor Kealie! This was her first class back from baby leave!

06/02/2026

🚨 CPR & AED Awareness Week Giveaway! 🚨

At Northern Illinois CPR and First Aid, we believe that knowing where an AED is located can save a life. This CPR & AED Awareness Week, we're making learning about AEDs fun with a giveaway!

🎁 WIN A $25 Amazon Gift Card! 🎁

📸 How to Enter:
1️⃣ Find the closest AED to you.
2️⃣ Take a picture of it.
3️⃣ Post the picture in the comments of this post.
✅ One photo = one entry into the drawing.

🔄 BONUS ENTRY:
Share this post publicly and receive one additional entry into the drawing!

💡 Not sure where the nearest AED is? This is a great opportunity to look around your workplace, school, church, gym, community center, or local business and learn where lifesaving equipment is located.

Every year, thousands of lives are saved because someone knew CPR and had quick access to an AED. Let's see how many AEDs we can find throughout our communities!
📢 Friendly Reminder: Make sure your AED photo is posted in the comments of the ORIGINAL Northern Illinois CPR and First Aid giveaway post so we can count your entry! Photos posted on shared posts, personal timelines, or sent through Messenger cannot be counted. Shares will be verified for bonus entries.

⏰ Contest ends at 11:59 PM on June 6, 2026.
🏆 One winner will be randomly selected and announced on June 7, 2026.
📢 Tag a friend and challenge them to find an AED too!
❤️ Together, we can make Northern Illinois a safer place—one AED at a time.



No purchase necessary. One AED photo per person for one entry. One additional entry may be earned by sharing this post publicly. This giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Facebook, AHA, or Amazon.

05/31/2026

This bill will help keep everyone safe on school grounds!

BIG news for Illinois schools ❤️ House Bill 3275 has officially passed the General Assembly today and is headed to Governor Pritzker’s desk.

This lifesaving legislation will strengthen cardiac emergency preparedness in schools by requiring CPR and AED training for paid head coaches and annual cardiac emergency drills, because no parent should ever have to wonder whether a school is prepared to save their child’s life.

When sudden cardiac arrest happens, every second matters — and preparation saves lives.

05/28/2026

We still have a few June and July dates available!

05/24/2026

🚨 1 in 5 AEDs may not be rescue ready when you need them most. 🚨

Your AED is only lifesaving if it's ready to perform when a cardiac arrest occurs. Expired pads, dead batteries, missed inspections, and overlooked warning indicators can turn a critical emergency into a preventable tragedy.

That's why we created NICPR HeartSafe Monitor.
✅ Simple QR-code inspections
✅ Automated compliance tracking
✅ Expiration date monitoring
✅ Inspection reminders and alerts
✅ Digital records for OSHA and organizational compliance
✅ Designed for businesses, schools, churches, healthcare facilities, and public agencies

With HeartSafe Monitor, AED inspections become as easy as scanning a QR code. No more paper logs. No more wondering when pads or batteries expire. No more surprises when seconds count.

Starting at just $5 per AED, you can have confidence that your equipment is being monitored and documented properly.
Every AED on your wall represents a life that may one day depend on it. Make sure it's ready.

05/21/2026

Thank you Maxim in Rockford hosting BLS class today with Instructor Anna and Instructor Amber!

05/20/2026

Did you know that "Baby Shark" is the perfect tempo for CPR chest compressions?

The American Heart Association recommends performing chest compressions at a rate of 100–120 compressions per minute during cardiac arrest. The catchy beat of "Baby Shark" falls right within that range, making it a fun and memorable way to help keep the correct rhythm.

While we hope you never need to use CPR in a real emergency, simple memory tricks like this can help you feel more confident and prepared to act when every second counts.

Check out the video below and see how "Baby Shark" can help keep lifesaving compressions on beat!

Remember: Early CPR and rapid AED use can double or even triple a person's chance of survival.

05/19/2026

Celebrating EMS Week 2026 – Honoring Those Who Answer the Call

This EMS Week, Northern Illinois CPR and First Aid would like to recognize and thank all EMS professionals who answer the call when their communities need them most.

We are especially proud of the licensed EMS providers on our team who bring real-world experience into every class they teach:
• Timm – Paramedic
• Zach – EMT
• Anna – EMT

Their dedication to emergency medicine helps ensure that our students receive training that goes beyond the textbook and is grounded in real-life patient care and emergency response.
Whether responding to emergencies, caring for patients, or teaching lifesaving skills, EMS professionals make a difference every day.

Please join us in thanking Timm, Zach, and Anna, along with all EMS providers, for their service, professionalism, and commitment to saving lives.

05/16/2026

Oh, the places we’ve gone this week!

From sanitation departments keeping communities clean…
To daycares helping little minds grow…
From dentist offices bringing healthy smiles…
To factories powering our communities…
And blood centers helping save lives every single day…

Every workplace has a story. Every team matters. And every person trained in CPR could someday become someone’s hero.