By CAROLYN CARY
ccary@thecitizennews.com

The Atlanta American Red Cross conducted its 18th annual CPR Saturday last week and nearly 400 Fayette countians took advantage of free training classes.

CPR Saturday is a way for the Red Cross to provide free training as a thank you to the community for its support throughout the year. Besides learning lifesaving CPR skills, participants also learned rescue breathing techniques, the abdominal thrust procedure for choking victims and how to lead a healthier life-style. The course normally would have cost $30.

Gathering at the LaFayette Educational Center in Fayetteville, volunteers and Red Cross staff put in many long hours preparing for the event. In the three south metro sites more than 1,000 persons took the three-hour classes.

In the 15 metro area sites, more than 6,300 people attended the free training, 1,000 more than last year.