The first week in June is recognized as National CPR Week and the American Heart Association (AHA) in collaboration with the Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services Agency and the Santa Monica Fire Department will be hosting the 3rd Annual Sidewalk CPR training today.
The goal of this training is to increase the number of lifesavers throughout Southern California communities.
CPR instructors will be on hand to demonstrate the basics and proper techniques of Hands-Only CPR, and participants will have the opportunity to practice on mannequins.
The training will not result in CPR certification, but information on how to get certified will be available.
Anyone can learn CPR and the AHA believes that everyone should.
Sadly, 70 percent of Americans may feel helpless to act during a cardiac emergency because they either do not know how to administer CPR or their training has significantly lapsed.
This alarming statistic could hit close to home because home is exactly where 80% of cardiac arrests occur.
By using Hands-Only CPR, bystanders can still act to improve the odds of survival, whether they are trained in conventional CPR or not.
Almost 300,000 casualties of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest are treated each year in the U.S.
Less than 8 percent of people who suffer cardiac arrest outside the hospital survive. Less than one-third of out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest casualties receive bystander CPR.
The 3rd Annual Sidewalk Hands-Only CPR training service is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.santamonicaplace.com.
WHEN: Thursday, June 5
12 pm – 4 pm
WHERE: Santa Monica Place (Center Plaza)
395 Santa Monica Place
Santa Monica, CA 90401
