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Mother Nature can't
stop air cadets from learning critical lifesaving skill Oshawa, December 3rd, 2007 - A cardiac arrest occurs when the heart stops beating regularly and can no longer pump blood through the body. Each year there are between 35,000 and 45,000 cases of cardiac arrest in Canada. Once the heart stops pumping, seconds count. For every minute that passes without help, a person's chance of surviving drops by about 10 per cent. But if you know how to respond to a cardiac arrest, you could save someone's life. That's why a major snow storm on December 3, 2007 couldn't stop 171 Royal Canadian Air Cadets from learning the critical lifesaving skill of CPR at a Heart and Stroke Foundation mass training event in Oshawa, ON. "Despite the weather, almost 200 cadets between the ages of 12 and 19 and their officers turned up to learn how to save a life," says Mike Nemeth, the Toronto paramedic who led the session. " In an already busy training schedule, the cadets were able to learn the basic technique of how to save a life in just 22 minutes . Now, thanks to the multiplier effect of CPR AnytimeTM Family & FriendsTM, their loved ones will also know how to respond in a cardiac emergency situation." For every CPR AnytimeTM Family & FriendsTM kit used for training, an average of 2.5 people learn how to perform CPR. According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the odds of surviving an out-of-hospital arrest are less than five per cent. Early treatment with an automated external defibrillator (AED) coupled with early CPR can restart a heart and boost survival rates to 30 per cent or more. The cadets were trained using the Heart and Stroke Foundation's new CPR AnytimeTM Family & FriendsTM Personal Learning Program which teaches the core skills of CPR in just 22 minutes. Each personal kit contains everything needed to learn basic CPR, including a DVD, a personal inflatable CPR mannequin, and an information booklet. "The Foundation's CPR AnytimeTM Family & FriendsTM training course is successful because it's so hands-on," says Nemeth. "Trainees repeatedly perform the techniques along with the video, resulting in better skills retention." CPR AnytimeTM Family & FriendsTM teaches the core skills needed to save a life. People who need to be certified or who would like a more in-depth course can contact their provincial Heart and Stroke Foundation to find out about local Heart and Stroke Foundation CPR courses. Each cadet brought their CPR AnytimeTM Family & FriendsTM kit home so that that they could share it with their families and friends. The $35 kit is available to the general public and can be ordered at www.cpranytime.ca or by calling 1-888-LAERDAL. The CPR AnytimeTM Family & FriendsTM training event with the 151 Chadburn Squadron was supported by Bristol-Myers Squibb. |
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| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 23 September 2008 ) |
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