Community business Heartland First Aid is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, but the occasion caught owner Krista Therens completely by surprise because those years had passed by quickly.
“Well, time sure does fly. I did not realize it was my 10-year anniversary until it had already passed (in March), and the Red Cross had emailed me and congratulated me on 10 years in business,” Therens said recently. “And I was like, ‘Oh, wow, 10 years.’
“So it’s been good serving the community for that long, for sure. … I’m doing something that I love.”
Therens has been a Red Cross instructor for 19 years and a business owner since 2012.
She thought it was hard to believe that she had been doing the same thing for that long. She believes she provides something valuable to the community by giving residents information and skills to prepare them for emergencies.
Many people she trained years ago return to her for re-certification, while word of mouth helps bring in new clients and repeat business.
“It’s good stuff that they’re learning. They’re coming back to me, so they’re obviously liking what they’re getting from my training, so that’s a positive,” she added.
Some services Heartland First Aid offers include standard first aid and CPR training, first aid re-certification, one- to three-day training classes, business-focused training, home-alone safety for children aged nine and babysitting classes for kids aged 11.
Therens believes people should possess all first aid skills, particularly how to perform chest compressions, rescue breathing, and using an AED machine. First aid skills can also help people manage heat stroke, poisoning and burns.
Therens started a first aid-related business because when she was a teenager, she took courses to become a lifeguard and instructor in lifesaving swimming, Red Cross swimming and aquatic fitness, she explained.
She re-trained continuously as a lifeguard, and while learning from different instructors, she discovered that she often enjoyed one thing about each educator. She thought if she took those qualities and combined them, she could become a great instructor.
“And then I went out and got that and I think I am a fabulous instructor,” she chuckled.
Since then, Therens has become a Red Cross first aid instructor and a water safety trainer. In 2015, she became a first aid instructor trainer, allowing her to teach others. Her nine employees are all people she trained in first aid. They enjoyed her courses and teaching style so much that they wanted to emulate what she was doing.
“And it’s not maybe the information so much as the experience overall, so the time they spend in the classroom with me as their instructor,” she said. “So it’s very flattering and humbling to have them want to do what I’m doing.”
Her next goal is to take first responder training and mental health first aid training so she can offer those skills to others.
Therens expanded her business into Calgary a couple of years ago. She explained that a cousin, Sam Hunter, worked in the aviation industry for more than 15 years before she was laid off during the pandemic. She returned to her hometown of Moose Jaw and lived with Therens for a while.
“She saw what I was doing and said, ‘Hey, that’s amazing. And I’ve sat through a lot of really lame, in-classroom training sessions. You don’t make this boring. I want to do what you do,’” Therens recalled. “So, she made a career change and became an instructor and expanded into Calgary and area.”
Therens believes her cousin will succeed since she is personable, enjoys meeting new people and is comfortable speaking publicly.
Visit heartlandfirstaid.com for more information.
