Providing life-saving training 'on the spot' in Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA — Life-saving skills can be important for everyone to possess, not just those in the medical field.

That's one of the reasons Florida native John Frusciante started Johnny on the Spot CPR, a business that offers on-site training in Alexandria for CPR/AED, first aid, basic life support and bloodborne pathogens.

The business offers training to both large and small companies, and anyone else who wishes to get certified in these skills.

"As long as you're old enough to comprehend the material, and strong enough to pump on the chest, you're good to go," Frusciante said.

While Johnny on the Spot CPR became a member of the Alexandria Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce earlier this month, Frusciante started his business about three years ago after he and his family came to the Alexandria area from North Dakota.

Unlike many businesses that offer certification in life-saving skills, Frusciante brings the necessary equipment to the people he's training, rather than have them come to him.

"My thing is, I have everything you need and I come to you on the spot," he said. "All you have to do is show up. I bring the mannequins, the supplies, and you get the certification in your hand the next day."

These skills are something people can use in their daily lives, Frusciante said.

"You're not just taking it to work — you're taking it home with you for your family," he said.

Each of the training sessions take from two to two and a half hours to complete, depending on the number of people in the training and their skill level, except for the bloodborne pathogen training, which takes 30 minutes to an hour, Frusciante said.

The CPR training is less complicated than it used to be, focusing more on chest compressions rather than breaths, he said.

"They've made it about as simple for the general public as possible," Frusciante said. "If a person goes down, they've got about 10 minutes of oxygenated blood in their system, to where you don't have to do breaths anymore."

In most cases, chest compressions will suffice until help arrives, he said.

"It's just circulating the blood through the body, or shocking it, as quickly as possible that is your best hope of reviving a person," he said.

The AED training is not as complicated as it used to be, either, with the AED machine giving verbal commands on how to operate once it gets turned on.

"You turn it on and it walks you through everything," Frusciante said.

Frusciante got into the life-saving field more than 20 years ago when he was living in Florida. He had an application submitted to the police academy, but then he spoke to his younger sister's boyfriend, who was a firefighter.

"It started with him saying, 'Think about it. Do people like it when cops show up or when firefighters show up?'" Frusciante said.

Not long after that, Frusciante went on a ride-along, and his mind was made up.

"As soon as it was done I was like, 'Tell me what I've got to do,'" he said.

Frusciante started as a firefighter/EMT, and then went to paramedic school. He worked for about five years as a paramedic. In all, he has more than 20 years of experience in the field.

That practical experience has served him in good stead for his work as a trainer, he said.

One of the last times Frusciante took the certification classes as a student, the instructor said some things that weren't right. After being called out on it by a nurse who was taking the class, the instructor revealed they had never actually performed CPR themselves.

"When I tell people I've done it, you get a little more credibility if you've done something for 20 years … than someone who read a book and said, 'This is what you do,'" Frusciante said.

Frusciante said he doesn't want the people taking his classes to feel intimidated by them.

"It's not hard, and once I show them in the class that anyone can do it, it's not as scary as people think," he said. "It's calm. It's a few steps to do it, and hopefully eight out of 10 times if you do it quickly and help gets there, there's a positive outcome."

For more information, search for Johnny on the Spot CPR on Facebook or email JohnnyOnTheSpotCPR@gmail.com.