To mark February as National Heart Month, Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller is hosting a free CPR/AED training and CPR Bystander hands-only training at two regional fire stations.
Participants can choose from an 11 a.m. program Saturday, Feb. 17, at the Oak Forest Fire Station, 4907 167th St. in Oak Forest, or at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20, at the South Holland Fire Station, 16230 Wausau Ave. in South Holland.
Miller reports to her constituents that every year in America over 420,000 people are victims of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and nine out of 10 victims die. Learning CPR can double or triple survival rates. In the moments after a person suffers a SCA, bystanders play a most critical role in determining the survival of the victims. The help of those who come to a victim’s aid can be more important than paramedics, doctors or nurses.
“Unlike a heart attack, the victim’s heart has stopped beating and no blood is circulating to the vital organs, especially the brain,” Miller informed her constituents. “Studies show that for every minute of delay before starting CPR, survival decreases 10%, so as the minutes tick by, the chances of a victim dying or suffering permanent brain damage increase.”
An American Heart Association demonstration video of hands-only CPR techniques is at https://youtu.be/atOkQ7gvCVk.