With a new year upon us and all the compelling ideas of making resolutions to better ourselves found in many publications, I was tempted by a list compiled by Popular Mechanics magazine of essential skills one should know for life:

1. Patch a radiator hose

2. Protect your computer

3. Rescue a boater who has capsized

4. Frame a wall

5. Retouch digital photos

6. Back up a trailer

7. Build a campfire

8. Fix a dead outlet

9. Navigate with a map and compass

10. Use a torque wrench

11. Sharpen a knife

12. Perform CPR

13. Fillet a fish

14. Maneuver a car out of a skid

15. Get a car unstuck

16. Back up data

17. Paint a room

18. Mix concrete

19. Clean a bolt-action rifle

20. Change oil and filter

21. Hook up an HDTV

22. Bleed brakes

23. Paddle a canoe

24. Fix a bike flat

25. Extend your wireless network

As a staff member of the local American Red Cross, I was most interested in skill no. 12 - perform CPR. There was some discussion at the office that several of the skills are a bit antiquated and some are best done by a trained professional. Perhaps you can add to the list yourself so that you are ready for what comes your way.

While most people have an idea of how to perform cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on a person whose heart has stopped, you may not have taken a course in years. Here#'s a very simple refresher that will help you prolong signs of life until medics arrive. The best option is, however, to take a Red Cross course yourself and soon.

Phone for help, then look and listen for the victim's breathing. Open the airway by tilting the head back and lifting the chin so the teeth almost touch.

Pinch both nostrils closed; bend your head over his face and fully cover his mouth with yours. Give two full rescue breaths, making sure to breathe deeply. Look to see if the chest rises.

Place your dominant hand on the middle of the victim's chest. Put your other hand on top and interlock your fingers. Straighten your arms and begin compressing the chest with the heels of your hands. Continue the compression/breathing cycle, compressing 30 times and then breathing twice, until the person starts breathing or help arrives.

That is CPR in its simplest form. All Red Cross staff take CPR each year and we are individually amazed at how much we do not remember about first aid, CPR and the use of an AED (automated external defibrillator). It is a skill that takes repeated instruction to recall and one that needs to be at your fingertips in an emergency situation.

The chapter currently has a grant that can offer a free FA/CPR/AED class to any Cayuga County citizen with an individual income of less than $35,000. These same people can also receive free college credit from Onondaga Community College for the class. A simple registration form is required for both projects.

Classes are scheduled four times each month and in a variety of sequences for the best possible fit into busy calendars. For more information, contact the chapter at 252-9596 or chapter@ccredcross.org.

Susan Marteney is executive director of the Cayuga County Chapter of the American Red Cross.