In June, three people saved the life of a woman in Centennial Park. While CPR wasn't needed, two of the rescuers were trained and prepared.

WJZ met with the county's EMS medical director, who said CPR training is top of mind.

Life-saving efforts

It didn't take long for Cale Maynard to decide to jump into the lake.

Around 6:30 p.m. Saturday, June 14, Maynard was teaching his nephew how to fish at Centennial Lake when he heard someone calling for help.

"Once I noticed that she's facedown in the water, I go and jump in the water with a life vest I got from the podium," Maynard said.

With the help of Department of Recreation & Parks workers Makiyia Staunton and Leo Pertman, Maynard was able to help the face-down woman get out of the water to first responders.

She was taken to Shock Trauma in Baltimore; she's since been released from care.

Maynard, Staunton, and Pertman were honored for their heroic acts Monday night.

Importance of CPR training

It's not clear if Maynard is trained in CPR, but Staunton and Pertman are because of their jobs.

Dr. Matthew Levy, the EMS medical director at the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue, said just knowing the skills can make a difference.

He adds that CPR training is a big priority in the county.

"We teach how to check for someone's consciousness, to activate the 911 system, and to start compressing until help arrives," Levy said. "We've built our programs in Howard County and around the region with [this idea in mind]: getting as many people in the community trained to know how to recognize cardiac arrest and respond to a cardiac arrest emergency."

Around 250 to 300 people suffer a cardiac arrest emergency in Howard County yearly, according to Levy. Nearly half of them will get bystander CPR.

A 2022 Harvard study found that while more than 60% of people are trained in CPR, only 18% are up-to-date on their training.

Levy said at most, you should be training every two years. He also said it doesn't hurt to train more frequently.

You never know when you'll need it.

"Community members can and do make a difference every single day. If Mr. Maynard hadn't been there -- if Ms. Staunton and Mr. Pertman hadn't acted as quickly as they did -- this could've ended very, very differently," Howard County Fire Chief Louis Winston said Monday.

Local classes and other resources

The Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue hosts a free, montly CPR training class that's available to anyone 12-year-old and older. You can register for that here.

The American Heart Association can help you find a CPR training class near you, find out more here.     

Howard County is also part of the PulsePoint Respond app. Levy said it's connected to the county dispatch system, and calls on individuals to help with CPR needs if they choose to. Find out more about that app here.