Northern Berkshire Healthcare offers CPR course in June

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NORTH ADAMS - Northern Berkshire Healthcare is expanding its community education programs by offering a Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) class designed by the American Heart Association.

Heartsaver AED (Automatic External Defibrillator) was designed to prepare a wide variety of people who want or need to learn CPR. Some of the reasons a person may want to get certified include a need to perform CPR in the workplace or similar setting, knowing how to use an AED and knowing how to help someone who is choking.

Cardiac arrest can result from heart attack, drowning, electric shock, and other problems. Studies show that effective CPR, quickly administered, improves survival from cardiac arrest.

Employees from the REACH Community Health Foundation, a non-profit entity of Northern Berkshire Healthcare, have been certified by the American Heart Association to conduct the community classes. The class is approximately four hours long.


The course has been redesigned using a “practice while watching” method. The student will be given a workbook that includes a CD prior to the class. The cost for the class is $40. The fee covers the cost of the student workbook and certification card.

The June classes are Wednesday, June 18 and Thursday, June 19 from 6 p.m. -8 p.m. June dates are one course over two days. Classes will be held in the 2 East Education Classroom at North Adams Regional Hospital.

Upon demonstration of the skills taught in the course, the student will receive a Heartsaver AED course completion card. For more information or to register for an upcoming CPR class, please call 413-664-5404.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Armed North Adams Man Arrested Following Domestic Standoff

Staff Reports

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Matthew Parker, a 44-year-old North Adams man, is set to face multiple counts of attempted murder and weapons charges in Northern Berkshire District Court on Friday morning following an hours-long, armed standoff at a Houghton Street home.

The defendant is being arraigned for:

  • Domestic Assault and Battery
  • Assault with the Intent to Murder (3 counts)
  • Carrying a Firearm While Under the Influence of Alcohol (3 counts)
  • Possession of a hi-capacity firearm (4 counts)
  • Improper Storage of a hi-capacity firearm (2 counts)
  • Improper Storage of a firearm (6 counts)

According to a report, on June 10, at approximately 8:42 p.m., officers responded to 365 Houghton St. following a report of a domestic assault and battery. The caller said she and her husband had been involved in a physical altercation.

She said her husband was intoxicated, making suicidal statements about shooting himself, and had access to both a shotgun and a pistol.

Upon arrival, officers made contact with both the caller and Parker. During the encounter, Parker threatened to shoot officers before retreating into the home and refusing to exit.

Officers believed that Parker was armed.

To ensure public safety, police established a perimeter around the home and requested assistance from the Berkshire County Special Response Team (SRT) and North Adams Police crisis negotiators. The Brien Center was also contacted and promptly provided an emergency mental health clinician to assist with the incident.

Special Response Team personnel deployed drones to monitor the residence and provide aerial illumination. During the operation, officers saw Parker exit the house carrying a rifle. He pointed it at the drones, stated a report. Parker subsequently pointed the rifle toward several officers positioned behind their cruisers. After officers attempted to de-escalate the situation, Parker returned inside the residence.

Trained crisis negotiators maintained communication with Parker for several hours in an effort to peacefully resolve the situation. At approximately 2 a.m., Parker ceased communication with negotiators.

Drone operators later observed Parker unconscious in a recliner on the first floor of the residence, with a rifle and shotgun on the floor nearby.

Members of the Berkshire County SRT then executed a coordinated operation. Diversionary devices were deployed through a window while an entry team simultaneously entered the home, secured the firearms, and took the defendant into custody.

A search warrant was executed after Parker was in custody. North Adams Police seized four shotguns, six rifles, two handguns, and thousands or rounds of ammunition from the home.

During the operation, one SRT member sustained a minor injury related to a less-lethal bean bag deployment. Parker also sustained non-life threatening injuries during the arrest and was transported to Berkshire Medical Center for medical evaluation.

"We thank the community for its patience and cooperation throughout this incident, particularly residents in the affected area who complied with temporary shelter-in-place requests," Police Chief Mark Bailey said.  "The North Adams Police Department extends its sincere appreciation to the agencies that provided mutual aid and assisted by handling calls for service during this incident. We are especially grateful to the Berkshire County Special Response Team for its professional and decisive response, the Brien Center for the rapid deployment of a mental health clinician, and our crisis negotiators whose efforts helped maintain dialogue and contributed significantly to the safe resolution of this incident."

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