On December 13th, 2025, AYLUS Oakland Gardens held its 209th event on the second floor of the Pomonok Community Center building. The event was on CPR and Fire Safety Awareness and the office of New York State Senator John C. Liu hosted this event in collaboration with the FDNY. This event focused on educating community members on hands-only CPR, AED usage, and fire safety preparedness. Our members arrived while the organizers were still setting up, and we saw several familiar faces including Maureen Reagan. The event lasted from 10:30 AM to 2:00PM and around 40 members showed up.
The FDNY team set up the room with rows of chairs facing the presentation area, and around the room were subtle Christmas designs. The team prepared CPR kits and mannequins and displayed informational brochures and safety materials on a table to the right side of the room. Attendees received sign-in sheets as they arrived. After a short wait for all participants and speakers to arrive, the program began with a motivational speech by Senator John C Liu himself, followed by an introduction from representatives from Senator John Liu’s office, notably Gallo who served as the main speaker for the event.
The FDNY paramedics team led the first part of the event. Paramedic Edwin introduced us to hands-only CPR. The team explained that CPR is used specifically for individuals in cardiac arrest, when the heart stops pumping blood and oxygen throughout the body. The team played two videos that demonstrated how to respond during a medical emergency. Participants learned the steps of CPR, which included checking for responsiveness, calling 911, and beginning compressions. Proper technique included locking elbows, keeping the back straight, bending at the hips, and pressing hard at the center of the chest (2 inches, 100-120 bpm). Broken ribs should not stop compressions, as saving a life is always the priority. After the demonstration, the team gave the audience the opportunity to practice CPR using mannequins. Members practiced the steps to replicate during an actual emergency, such as calling 911, requesting an AED, and continuing CPR until help arrived. If a person wakes up, the person doing CPR must roll the victim to the side in case of vomiting.
The FDNY team then moved on to AED (Automated External Defibrillator) training. AED is identified by a white box with a lightning bolt symbol. We learned the steps to using an AED, including turning the device on, exposing the patient’s chest, and applying the pads correctly. During an AED application, someone else must continue CPR without interruption. Similarly to a “coach”, the AED gives audio instructions and analyzes the heart rhythm every two minutes. Once applied, the pads must not be removed or exposed to wet or metal environments.
The next half of the event featured presentations from FDNY recruitment representatives and the Fire Safety Department Captain Jerry Rocco. They discussed career opportunities within the FDNY, which included EMS, firefighting, dispatch, and inspection roles. They also described eligibility requirements and advancement opportunities for FDNY jobs. Captain Rocco also prepared a fire safety presentation, which informed the audience of some common causes of fires, and safety precautions such as functional fire extinguishers (the PAS method), and smoke alarms. He mentioned how recent fires were results of poor safety procedures. Some tips to minimize damage during a fire include setting up smoke alarms, keeping apartment doors closed during fires, and understanding whether a building is fireproof beforehand.
We would like to extend our thanks to Senator John C. Liu and his office for organizing this event, as well as the FDNY paramedics, recruitment team, and fire safety officials for presenting information on fire safety to both our group and the Pomonok community.We are also grateful to our parent advisor team for their continued support. Finally, we would like to thank all AYLUS Oakland Gardens members who attended this event. Through this experience, our members gained practical life-saving skills and valuable safety knowledge that may one day save lives.
Our volunteers:
1. Selena You: 3.5 hours
2. Stephanie You: 3.5 hours
3. Sophia Xu: 3.5 hours
4. Anthony Xu: 3.5 hours
5. Honglei Luo: 3.5 hours
6. Alfred Liu: 3.5 hours
7. Ioknor Lin: 3.5 hours
8. Ioklee Lin: 3.5 hours
9. Tina Chen: 3.5 hours
10. Winnie Lin: 3.5 hours
11. Vicki Lin: 3.5 hours
12. Dylan Chen: 3.5 hours
13. Linan Cao: 3.5 hours
14. Jiansheng Chen: 3.5 hours
15. Zhiheng Zhou: 3.5 hours
16. Ricky Song: 3.5 hours
17. Kaisa Wu: 3.5 hours
18. Matthew Lin: 3.5 hours
19. Alexander Lu: 3.5 hours
20. Sophia Lu: 3.5 hours
21. Katrina Zhang: 3.5 hours
22. Kaitlyn Zhang: 3.5 hours
23. Janice Ma: 3.5 hours
24. Zihan Shi: 3.5 hours
25. Rui Zhu: 3.5 hours
26. Selena Zheng: 3.5 hours
27. Mohan Luo: 3.5 hours
28. Vincent He: 3.5 hours
29. Enda Zheng: 3.5 hours
30. Ryan Zheng: 3.5 hours
31. Terrence Cao: 3.5 hours
32. Brandon Lin: 3.5 hours
33. Ashlee Chen: 3.5 hours
34. Liam Cheung: 3.5 hours
35. Albert Tang: 3.5 hours
36. Sophia Gao: 3.5 hours
37. Sabrina Gao: 3.5 hours
38. Ryan Wu: 3.5 hours
39. Yuyan Fan: 3.5 hours
Parent Adviser Team:
Fannie Li: 4 hours
Karen Liao: 4 hours
Faye Liu: 4 hours
Report Written by: Brandon Lin
Reviewed by: Jia Qi (Angela) Liu
