By Anastassia Roberts, American Red Cross intern

“My hope is that [my students] feel confident enough with their skills that if I walk out of this class and fall to the floor, they feel confident enough to take care of me until EMS arrives,” American Red Cross volunteer Major Taylor Sivley shared about CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) classes at Fort Irwin. According to Major Taylor Sivley, confidence is the main thing that students should take away from their CPR classes so that they can use their skills to help somebody in the case of an emergency. Throughout his two-and-a-half-year journey with the Red Cross, Major Sivley has volunteered over 130 hours and has played a monumental role in the development of the Ft. Irwin Red Cross office.

When Major Sivley began noticing his Ft. Irwin community’s need for CPR classes despite a lack of accessibility, he stepped into action. Many military members, veterans and families needed access to CPR classes to qualify for specific jobs in Ft. Irwin, and there was an abundance of people “asking for CPR classes, but no one was able to get the certifications they needed.” According to Major Sivley, “the closest place they could go was Victorville, and that’s a two-hour drive there and a two-hour drive back.”

Having previously taught CPR classes with the Red Cross, Major Sivley knew how important it was to share these lifesaving skills with his community in Ft. Irwin. Although integrating Ft. Irwin and the Red Cross was an immediate response for Major Sivley, it took about two and a half years for Ft. Irwin to officially have its own Red Cross office. Throughout the process, Major Sivley learned that developing a Red Cross program is a team effort, involves multiple departments and requires mass collaboration. “My experience in the Army helped me understand how to get this program started, but it’s not just me doing it,” he shared. “It’s other people with the Red Cross and the Villages at Ft. Irwin.”

Because of the Villages at Ft. Irwin’s help in funding the program and covering the cost of materials, CPR classes are offered for free and are accessible to people in the community. Since beginning the program in 2023, five instructors have been trained, 39 students have been certified, and an estimated $3,500 has been saved from participant costs (not to mention all those hours of driving). “It was a large team of people who came together to develop this program, and I’m just happy I can help,” Major Sivley shared.

Other than CPR classes, the Ft. Irwin Red Cross office offers emergency communications, hospital and general volunteer opportunities, information and referral services, a Dental Assistant Training Program, disaster preparedness education, and more.

“No matter what your skill set is, you can be used,” Major Sivley shared. Although he began his Red Cross journey as a general volunteer, the Red Cross recognized the need for CPR instruction at Ft. Irwin and created a role just for Major Sivley. “There may not be a clear-cut job for you right now, but everyone has something to offer. That willingness to show up and help is what matters.”

For more information about Red Cross services for the military community, including active-duty service members, military families and veterans, visit redcross.org/military.