AUGUSTA -- In his first year as principal of St. Michael School, Jon Caron wants to be prepared.

On Saturday, Caron was not alone in wanting to be ready to face an emergency situation.

He was one of 80 Augusta-area residents who entered Cony High School at 8 a.m. on Saturday and exited four hours later, cards in hand to prove they are certified to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR.

The free, four-hour CPR training session was an early step in an ongoing effort by the Augusta Fire Department to certify as many city residents as possible in administering CPR.

"If somebody happens to collapse, we don't want one person there," Augusta Fire Chief Roger Audette said. "We want 10."