Snohomish County Fire District 1 will launch a new program to provide free CPR training to the public at an event on Tuesday in Mountlake Terrace.

The first CPR To Go training will be offered Feb. 16 during the Seniors on the Move fundraiser at Red Onion Burgers, located at 21005 44th Ave. W. in Mountlake Terrace. Citizens can drop by and learn CPR in about 10 minutes anytime between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m.

The training is free and no registration is necessary.

Other CPR To Go training sessions are planned during community events this summer.

“We know effective bystander CPR provided immediately after sudden cardiac arrest can significantly increase a victim’s chance of survival,” Deputy Chief Shaughn Maxwell, head of Fire District 1 Emergency and Community Health Services, said. “The more citizens we have trained in CPR, the more lives we can save in our community.”

CPR To Go will teach hands-only CPR. Hands-only CPR is CPR without mouth-to-mouth breaths.

The American Heart Association has determined any attempt at CPR is better than no attempt and hands-only CPR has been shown to be as effective as conventional CPR with mouth-to-mouth in the first few minutes of cardiac arrest.

Citizens who want to learn more than the basics can sign up for Fire District 1’s monthly CPR, first aid and AED class. This day-long class is taught by firefighters and includes a two-year certification in adult, child and infant CPR. The cost for those classes is $70. Registration information is available at www.firedistrict.org.

Fire District 1 is the largest provider of fire and emergency medical services in Snohomish County, with full-time staffing at 12 fire stations. The department serves nearly 200,000 residents in unincorporated south Snohomish County, Brier, Edmonds and Mountlake Terrace.