Firefighters from the Valley Regional Fire Authority will take part in in American Heart Month by offering free blood pressure and blood sugar screenings at several locations in Auburn and Pacific during the next week. The times and places are as follows:

• 9 to 11 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 21, North Auburn Albertsons, 1347 Auburn Way N.

• 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 21, South Auburn Albertsons, 4010 A St. S.E.

• 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday, Feb. 23, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Pacific Senior Center, 100 3rd St. S.E. Pacific

• 9 a.m. to noon, Thursday, Feb 26, Auburn Food Bank, 930 18th Place N.E.

For more than 40 years, Congress has designated February as “American Heart Month,” challenging Americans to join the battle against cardiovascular disease.

Heart Month is also part of the VRFA’s current participation in the King County Emergency Medical Services SPHERE (Supporting Public Health with Emergency Responders) program, which targets two massive public health problems: hypertension and diabetes by helping to identify new cases on emergency calls. Firefighters now routinely check patients blood sugar and blood pressure when assessing their overall conditions. If they identify a particular problem, the patient will receive an “alert” card and encouragement to follow up with their physician. They may also receive a phone call from the SPHERE program asking what actions they took to remedy the problem.

The VRFA encourages everyone to have their blood pressure checked, exercise, eat healthy and consider taking a CPR or first aid class.