WESTERNVILLE, N.Y. -- While watching TV and enjoying a snack, Cindy Conover noticed her 6-year-old brother Aiden Smith choking on a grape.
"He started to panic and I started to panic for a minute," said 12-year-old Cindy. "Then I told him to get over here, and I started doing the Heimlich. It was extremely scary but I knew I had to do it and it had to be done."
The brother and sister headed to a neighbor's house and waited for the fire department to respond. Crews determined Aiden was OK thanks to his sister's quick thinking.
Still, it was a short, but scary moment for the second grader.
"I was nervous that I couldn't breathe," said Aiden. "I could a little. When we got over to the neighbors, I coughed and the grape came out of my throat."
It's a situation that could have had a very different ending -- if Cindy hadn't learned the Heimlich and hands-only CPR at school.
The Town of Western Volunteer Fire Company, along with other area departments, sends firefighters to the Holland Patent Central School District, teaching students those life-saving measures.
"We go in, it's three to four hours, and these kids come out with a life-saving skill," said Tim Howard, a firefighter who teaches those courses. "We proved that through a 12-year-old girl who saved her brother's life. My goal as a CPR instructor is for this to go statewide and and become a mandatory part of the state education."
Students who complete the course are given CPR certifications.
"It is very important because not only will you save a life, you can also help other people and do greater things if you actually know the heimlich and CPR," said Cindy.
And after his sister's valiant action, Aiden says he's thankful, and wants to learn how to do the Heimlich too.
He also plans to give up grapes.
"I'm going have ice cream and smoothies," he said with a smile.
The CPR courses at Holland Patent schools have been going on for the past five years, after Tom Howard's daughter Jourdan asked him to teach her fifth grade class.