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Learn CPR June 5, training at over 90 locations in LA www.ems.dhs.lacounty.gov or www.fire.lacounty.gov.

Learn CPR in 10 Minutes with “Sidewalk CPR” June 5

Training to be held at over 90 locations across Los Angeles County

LOS ANGELES – June 3, 2014 – It just takes five minutes to learn how to keep a cardiac arrest victim alive until paramedics arrive! The County of Los Angeles Emergency Medical Services Agency is once again coordinating free hands-only CPR training on Sidewalk CPR Day, June 5, at over 90 sites across Los Angeles County to help improve cardiac survivability. Last year, more than 7,000 people in Los Angeles County learned how to save a life in just a few minutes with a quick lesson from local firefighters and medical professionals. This year, the goal is to train at least 10,000 more.

“Citizen CPR is a fast-growing movement to empower bystanders to save a life when someone suffers sudden cardiac arrest,” says Cathy Chidester, director of the County EMS Agency. “We are glad to partner with the American Heart Association, fire departments and hospitals to bring Sidewalk CPR into local communities. With 80 percent of all cardiac arrest occurring at home, we need to help family and friends learn how to double or triple their loved one’s chance of survival.”

Hands-only CPR focuses on the first few minutes following a cardiac arrest, since the lungs and blood contain only enough oxygen to keep vital organs healthy for that amount of time. While emergency responders are on their way to the scene, chest compressions using hands-only CPR will provide the ongoing blood flow needed to give the patient a much better chance of survival once responders arrive.

Less than three percent of the nearly 383,000 sudden cardiac arrest victims survive nationwide. Only 32 percent of victims receive CPR from a bystander. Don’t be a bystander in a cardiac emergency – be a lifesaver! For a list of training sites, visit www.ems.dhs.lacounty.gov or www.fire.lacounty.gov.