WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP — Ellorie Roberts knew nothing about CPR training.

The 10-year-old fifth-grader from Washington Elementary School was among over 100 students sitting in an auditorium Monday learning about CPR as part of the Pascack Valley Junior Police Academy.

"If someone is on the ground, you know what to do," Ellorie said after finishing the class. "If you don't know what to do, then you don't know how to treat the patient who is on the floor, so this is good to help people remember what to do when someone is not breathing."

All the kids who participated in the CPR training session, held at Westwood Regional High School, became certified. Participants, who were mostly between the ages of 10 and 15, were equipped with instructional kits which were donated by the American Heart Association. CPR trainer Robert Stickel said he hopes the kids don't just keep their new training technique to themselves.

“We’re just looking to get more people in the community trained, and with this program the kids in the junior police academy will take these home and they will be able to teach their parents and their siblings and grandparents CPR,” said Stickel, president of LifeSavers Inc., which provides medical response products and also donated instructional kits.

Cousins Vincent Santaite, 10, and Dominic Santaite, 9, didn't know about CPR, either. With the training, the two Washington Elementary School students hope to put it to use if needed.

"You can save people's lives and ... if they are your family members, they can come back," said Dominic, who explained no one in his family knows CPR.

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Michael Pontillo, Westwood's chief of police, agreed with the child's sentiment.

"Bringing these kids in today helps them recognize instead of freezing, they learn something," Pontillo said of the class, which was being offered for the second straight year. "CPR is responsible for saving lives."

Stickel noted that less than 38 percent survive sudden cardiac arrest.

With school out for kids and beaches in the state expected to be crowded this summer, learning CPR could also be vital toward saving a life.

One in five people in the U.S. who die from drowning are under age 14, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said. Among the recommendations from the CDC to prevent drowning deaths is to learn CPR.

"CPR performed by bystanders has been shown to save lives and improve outcomes in drowning victims," according to the CDC. "The more quickly CPR is started, the better the chance of improved outcomes."

Meanwhile, Tatianna Beutel, 15, learned about CPR from her sister, who works as an EMT. On Monday, she completed the CPR training for the second time.

"I've always been interested,: said Tatianna, a Westwood Regional High School student. "It's important for everyday life."