Bainbridge Island residents have their pick when it comes to emergency preparedness.

In April, Bainbridge Prepares is hosting CPR classes in partnership with Kitsap Regional Library and BI Fire Department. Loren Bast, executive director of Bainbridge Prepares, said that they offer a wide range of courses including, CPR, stop the bleed and cyber security.

BIFD also hosts their own in-person CPR classes for community members throughout the year. These courses are free and require prior registration through the BIFD website. The courses are also not intended for healthcare providers. The next class is scheduled March 26. Classes are held at Station 21, 8895 Madison Ave. and run from 6:30 to 8 p.m. per the BIFD website.

Bast has been with the BP seven years, six of which have been in a leadership role. “If the response we got from the community was not favorable, we wouldn’t keep offering these courses multiple times in a month. They are very well attended, a lot of repeat individuals,” he said.

Bast joined the organization after experiencing the impacts of natural disasters growing up in the Caribbean. After returning to the U.S., he was concerned about friends and family still in the Caribbean being impacted by tropical storms.

“I just so happened to see that there was this organization on Bainbridge that was very forward-thinking about emergency preparedness, emergency response. So I got involved at a very volunteer level initially, and then a year later, was asked by founder Scott James to step in as executive director day to day,” he said.

“There are certain medical things where seconds matter, but that if a trained person can react, they can save a life. And so CPR is one of the few instances where a course you take for an hour or two can save a life down the road, “ Bast said.