Firefighters are set to fan out Thursday to 50 locations countywide to teach residents hands-only CPR in free 10-minute-long training sessions.
The training will teach residents how to keep a cardiac arrest victim alive until paramedics arrive.
Last year, more than 10,000 people learned how to save a life in just a few minutes. Organizers from the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Emergency Medical Services Agency and American Heart Association hope to reach as least that many again today.
Ninety percent of people who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrests die, according to the agencies. Less than half get CPR from a bystander.
“Bystanders are the first link in the chain of survival when every minute counts,” said Cathy Chidester, director of the county EMS agency. “Learning hands-only CPR empowers anyone to be able to save a life when someone suffers sudden cardiac arrest.”
Seventy percent of all cardiac arrests happen at home and family and friends can “double or triple their loved one’s chance of survival by learning CPR,” Chidester said.
Chest compressions using hands only can provide the blood flow needed to give patients a much better chance of survival once emergency responders arrive.
Those trained in CPR can download a mobile app at www.pulsepoint.org to receive notifications that someone nearby needs CPR.
A list of training sites can be found at www.fire.lacounty.gov/sidewalkcpr/.
—Staff and wire reports