Last Frontier KPBM March 2015

14 |MARCH 2015 WWW.KPBJ.COM
business openings
CKFR medic offers local option for safety training
By Tim Kelly
KPBJ editor
A Central Kitsap firefighter and EMT
has started a business for teaching first
aid and CPR classes to Kitsap and Mason
County residents.
Kevin Bernt opened Compressions for
Life, an American Heart Association
training facility, at 701 Pacific Ave. in
downtown Bremerton.
The mission of Bernt’s operation is “to
train our neighbors and community to be
efficient and confident in an emergency.”
He will incorporate his real-world experiences
dealing with emergencies as a firefighter
and paramedic into the training he
provides at Compressions for Life.
Certification is offered in CPR, First
Aid and Automated External Defibrillator
(AED). The classes are geared toward
people whose jobs require them to have
such training, but the classes are open to
anyone would like to be trained.
“The more people that know CPR, the
safer our community becomes,” Bernt
said.
In addition to working for Central Kitsap
Fire & Rescue, Bernt has been teaching
various pre-hospital medical classes
for the past 10 years, including as a senior
EMT instructor for Kitsap County Emergency
Medical Services.
Education has been a priority and passion
for him, and he has a master’s degree
from Arizona State University in Science
in Public and Fire Administration.
Bernt, who’s originally from Portland
Kevin Bernt, left,
a paramedic for
Central Kitsap
Fire & Rescue,
teaches a cardiopulmonary
resuscitation
class. He is the
lead instructor
at Compressions
for Life, a new
business in
downtown
Bremerton that
provides CPR,
First Aid and
other safety
training.
LARRY STEAGALL
and has worked at CKFR for seven years,
began offering classes in Bremerton in
December and said he’s gotten a good response
in trying to get the word out.
“It’s been pretty positive,” he said. “I
just did the (Kitsap Business) Expo. I felt
like people here who have the need have
been going to Tacoma or Seattle, because
there’s not a class based here.
“It provides a place to go and get trained,
and it’s cheaper than Seattle or Tacoma.”
Bernt also will schedule presentations
at workplaces. “You don’t get certified but
you get training,” he said.
Certification for training completed at
Compressions for Life is through Inland
Northwest Health Service.
For now Bernt is the only instructor for
the classes, which can accommodate up
to 12 people. The different classes are offered
a few times a month with the schedule
posted online, and classes are either
Wednesday or Thursday evening or Saturday
morning. This summer he hopes to
offer advanced cardiac life-support classes.
Bernt hopes the Compressions for Life
class fees will cover the operating expenses
for his business, which will have an official
ribbon-cutting with the city and
Chamber of Commerce in June.
“I don’t see it as huge profitable venture;
it’s not that kind of business,” he said. “I’m
just kind of doing it to provide a service to
the public.”
For more information about classes, call
360-731-2507 or visit the website www.
compressions4life.com.
womeN | from 3
need to create a sustainable
withdrawal strategy early in
your retirement — and stick
to it.
Challenge: Women are far
more likely than men to need
some type of long-term care.
More than two-thirds of
nursing home residents are
women, according to the
National Center for Health
Statistics. And the average
cost for a private room in a
nursing home is more than
$87,000 per year, according
to the 2014 Cost of Care Survey
produced by Genworth,
a financial services company.
Typically, Medicare covers
only a small percentage
of these costs.
Potential solution: Prepare
in advance for long-term care
expenses.
Long-term care costs can
be enormous, but you do have
some protection-related options
for meeting these costs.
Check with your financial advisor
to learn which of these
choices might be most appropriate
for your situation.
These aren’t the only financial
issues facing women, but
they do give you a good idea
of what you may be facing.
So, be proactive in meeting
these challenges — because
there’s actually a lot you can
do.
leNS | from 3
amount ($15,720 in 2015). During
the year in which you reach
your full retirement age, this withholding
changes to $1 for every $3
in earnings over the annual limit
($41,880 in 2015). The withheld
amounts could also affect spousal
benefits. However, beginning the
month you attain your full retirement
age, benefits will no long longer
be withheld based on how much
you earn.
Also, Social Security will recalculate
your benefits at full retirement
age to account for the benefits that
were withheld. In any case, if you
do plan to continue working, and
you think you could have significant
income, you’ll need to understand
the effect that earnings will
have on your annual benefits.
Need — In deciding when to take
Social Security, here’s a key question:
Do you need the money? If you
can support your lifestyle for several
years with alternative sources
of income (such as a pension) and
modest withdrawals from your investments,
you may be able to delay
Social Security, thereby increasing
the size of your monthly payments.
Be careful, though, because relying
too heavily on your investment
portfolio can shorten its own “life
expectancy.” It’s essential that you
maintain a reasonable withdrawal
rate for your investments throughout
your retirement.
Spouse — Your decision of when
to take Social Security will affect
your spouse’s survivor benefit. Surviving
spouses can receive their
own benefit or 100 percent of their
deceased spouse’s benefit, whichever
is greater. So, if you were to take
your Social Security early, when the
payments are smaller, your spouse’s
survivor benefits will also be permanently
reduced.
If you are older than your spouse,
or otherwise expect your spouse to
outlive you, it might be a good idea
to delay taking Social Security to
maximize the survivor benefits.
As you think about when to take
Social Security, look at your decision
through the LENS described
above. It could help clarify your options.