This discussion has occurred in the past so a search might be useful though many of the same posters are already in the discussion.
My first CPR class was over 30+ years ago!
Since then I have had two more classes for two jobs and get refresher training every other year. Plus First Responder training for those two jobs. In all of that time, and with all of that training, I have never done CPR BUT I have used the training in the CPR class to save my kid from choking to death.
Strangely, I have helped a woman who had a seizure at EPCOT. Twice.
She seized one afternoon in the park and my training kicked in. I saw the lady go down and told my wife to call 911. Then I noticed a Cast Member and told my wife to talk to the Cast Member since I know they have quick communication to EMS.
Another couple heard me saying to call 911 and saw me move to the woman who had gone down. They turned out to be nurses.
We stabilized the lady and found her MedAlert bracelet which mentioned seizures. She quickly came too as EMS arrived. Only took a few minutes for all of this to happen. EMS knew the lady.
Next day, we went back to EPCOT about the same time and saw a crowd near the bus stops. We could see it was that lady again.
She was coming too as EMS was pulling in. I told the security guard that this had happened yesterday at the same time and that EMS likely knew her. He was kinda wigging out and needed to calm down a bit.
I mention all of this because CPR training is more than just compressions and you really do not know when the training will be needed. CPR classes cover AEDs but you don't really need training to use an AED. It is designed to work with untrained people.
You do CPR on a dead person and to buy time to allow for more advanced care to arrive. The odds of CPR helping to bring a person back to live is very small. AEDs increase the odds greatly compared to CPR but the odds of surviving are still small. But with no CPR or no AED, well, the dead are going to stay dead. Some chance is better than no chance.
If one is a hour or more from advanced life support, well, odds are pretty bad even with an AED.
The primary reason we would have an AED is to help others. My wife has some heart issues on her side of the family but most of her family have lived long lives. My family does not have heart issues that would affect me and we live to very old ages. The AED would almost certainly be for someone else. I would feel real bad if I was in a situation where an AED would have helped but I did not have one on the boat. The family of the victim would likely feel somewhat better knowing that everything that could be done was done. No playing the what if game in their head because and AED was not present.
Taking a CPR class is well worth the time. It is pretty danged easy and interesting. I have had the class at least a dozen times and I always learn something new. AEDs are covered in the class and AEDs are starting to appear in many places in the US. They are all over Disney World.
Later,
Dan