I am certified in red cross first aid, child, infant, adult and two man CPR, and ambu bag/mask rescue breathing. I was a life guard in college and kept up my certs, even though it costs me about 200 bucks a year for the professional level classes.
The good samaritan law in california is as follows:
nobody is required to assist. its your choice. you can't be prosecuted for doing nothing (your right to not be involved) and you can't be prosecuted for an honest attempt to help... for example... ribs get broken in CPR. You try not to, but it does happen. You can also break that little bone at the bottom of the sternum called the zyphoid process. They can't sue you if this happens, EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT CERTIFIED IN CPR. An honest attempt to help is always ok. Better to do something than nothing.
This law does not apply to someone considered a "professional rescuer" professional rescuers are police, fire department, lifeguards, EMTs, or anyone who's job is rendering emergency aid (and some states include doctors and nurses.) Professional rescuers are REQUIRED BY LAW to stop and assist in an emergency, and they can be sued if they screw up royally, like trying to intubate someone and getting the air tube in the stomache instead of the lung. They would probably not be sued for my earlier example of a broken rib, because those just happen sometimes in CPR, and most courts have ruled that bones heal and its better to be alive.
hope that helps
