Why Having CPR Training is Important

Two things have sparked this post. The first is This Article I read detailing a study done over 10 North American cities. Researchers compared survival rates of cardiac arrest victims based on the cities that they live in.

The findings indicate that while Seattle has the best survival rate at 16% and Alabama has the lowest at 3%, Toronto falls quite low on the scale at 5%.

Cardiac arrest patients already have a low survival rate as it is. What is important, is having bystanders prepared to act fast by calling 911 and performing CPR in an attempt to resuscitate the victim.

The second event that sparked this post is that over the weekend I was coming home from a night out, when somebody yelled "call 911" directly at me. I did it right away.

In CPR training they will tell you not cry out "Call 911" in to a crowd but to select somebody specific. In large groups, everybody assumes somebody else will take responsibility and nobody acts fast enough. You have to point or speak directly to specific people to have help arrive as quickly as possible. Fortunately the incident over the weekend did not require CPR and the injured man will most likely be okay.

Five Reasons to get CPR training

1. By the time someone needs CPR they are dead. Sorry to be so blunt but their heart has stopped and they are no longer breathing. CPR at this point can only help a person until professionals arrive at the scene.

2. Being helpless in a crisis situation is a horrible feeling. When the victim is a friend or family member you will want to know how you can help. CPR is a life saving skill that can be crucial in a life or death situation. CPR training will also teach you what not to do in an emotional situation. For example, sometimes it's best not to move an injured person. If you are a parent your first instinct might be to pick up your child. This might not be the right thing to do and with proper training, you will learn what is helpful and what is potentially harmful.

3. CPR training teaches you how to handle a situation where you need to take control and give commands. "Hey you, in the yellow shirt call 911." "Hey you, with the glasses, wait over there to flag down the ambulance."

4. CPR training teaches you how to use a defibrillator. Defibrillators are located in many public spaces such as community centres, swimming pools and senior centres. They are good to have in public spaces but they are even better, if there are people around who are trained to use them.

5. CPR training will teach you how to keep yourself safe in an emergency situation. If something horrible has happened you need to know how to quickly analyze the scene for your own safety. Broken glass, possible explosions and bodily fluids are things you might not think about if you are running toward someone to help them out.

Being trained in CPR is crucial for anyone. More trained citizens means a safer and faster acting community.

Many organizations offer CPR training. Red Cross and St. John Ambulance as a couple of examples. The courses are not very long or expensive. It's defintiely worth it!

Get Trained!