I haven’t been at meetings regarding the issues at the Northampton Senior Center because I am not a resident of Northampton. I am, however, a volunteer instructor in one of the physical fitness classes at the center, and my concern is safety. It’s a concern that I hope the newspaper will pursue with all facilities in the region that offer physical fitness classes and equipment use.

I moved to this area five years ago. I had been a YMCA instructor in Auburn, New York, for nine years, where I was required to renew my CPR certification every three years in a class offered by the YMCA and taught by the fire department. I was encouraged to teach my classes the procedures that we would follow if someone collapsed: I would start compressions, someone would call 911, and someone would run to the desk and get the defibrillator.

Pictures and names of members of the staff who were certified in CPR were posted on the wall above the desk. Everyone entering the YMCA would see those faces and names and be able to recognize the people.

When I moved here, I decided to volunteer at the Senior Center in the hope of drawing in some seniors who might come to the center for social reasons and be tempted to try an exercise class for only the $2 overhead charge.

Since I started instructing at the center five years ago, I have asked each program director to offer CPR certification classes. No one has followed through. I have begun to wonder if any of the fitness centers in western Massachusetts have certified instructors, which is why I am urging your newspaper to pursue this need.

Every fitness center should have instructors who have up-to-date CPR certification, or, if there were no classes but only equipment, a certified person on duty.

I was taught first as a public school teacher and then, after retirement, as a YMCA instructor, that my first responsibility is to the safety of my class. At the Senior Center, we have the age group most vulnerable to heart attacks and strokes. Having soda or potato chips in the café are not the priority issues that should concern us.

We should not be depending on luck at the Senior Center. We need regular classes in CPR (which usually includes choking) that non-instructors can also take, and we need clear processes in place for saving lives and obvious signs that would inform everyone of these processes. Every time I teach a class, I am conscious of the age group I am teaching, and I reiterate “Don’t grip the weights too tightly because it raises your blood pressure,” or “Make certain the tube is firmly under your instep and not your toes so that it can’t fly up in your face.”

But I also at times wonder what I would do if someone collapsed and who would be qualified and available to help me. I suppose there are those people, but I have never been informed as to who it would be.

We all need to think of what our priorities are. I hope that this letter will interest this newspaper in researching all of the fitness centers in our area for emergency preparedness. And when you finish that, start researching the eating establishments to find out which, if any, have people trained to deal with choking victims. Someone’s life may depend on it.

The author lives in Southampton.