June 1 through 7 is National CPR/AED Awareness Week. Are you trained to help when every second counts?
Imagine a warehouse filled with workers, a man grabs his chest and falls to the floor. A nearby coworker notices and has someone call 9-1-1. The medics are 10 minutes away.
Somebody starts CPR and somebody else goes for the AED (Automated External Defibrillator) machine. When paramedics arrive, the man is breathing on his own and is taken to the hospital. When an emergency strikes, time is critical.
By becoming trained, a person goes from a bystander to a trained, empowered and prepared individual who can take control of a situation.
You can sign up for this or any other health and safety class by contacting your local Red Cross office.
The Western New York Tri County Chapter of the American Red Cross now has three locations covering Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties. You can reach any of these offices by calling 343-6098.
Did you know...
- After someone stops breathing, or the heart stops beating, he or she can survive for only four to six minutes before lack of oxygen results in brain damage or death. CPR can buy extra time for your loved one, until professional help can arrive, by artificially circulating oxygen to the brain.
- More than 70 percent of all cardiac and breathing emergencies occur in the home when a family member is present and available to help a victim.
- Over 1.5 million heart attacks occur each year and approximately 350,000 of these victims die before ever reaching a hospital.
- Statistics show that the earlier CPR is initiated, the greater the chance
of survival. It is estimated that 100,000 to 200,000 lives of adults and
children could be saved each year if CPR was performed early enough. - Re-training and retention of CPR learning is a major requirement. Studies
have shown that memory of CPR skills and knowledge tends to deteriorate as
early as three months after training, even among highly trained professionals, including: doctors and nurses. - Approximately seven million adults and children suffer from disabling injuries in their own homes and backyards each year, resulting from accidents that may require CPR. Some of the common causes of "sudden death" include: electric shock, heart attacks, drowning, severe allergic reactions, choking, drug overdose and suffocation.
- The country's No. 1 killers, a combination of heart attacks and accidents,
claim a life every 34 seconds in the United States. - One in six men and one in eight women over the age of 45 have had a heart
attack or stroke. - Approximately 45 percent of all heart attacks occur in people under age 65.
- Cost-effective training, materials and instruction are provided at reasonable rates, whether you want one course or several. And because the American Red Cross is a non-profit organization, the dollars you invest in training go right back into your community to support lifesaving emergency preparedness and response programs.
