In recognition of National CPR Week, the American Heart Association (AHA) is collaborating with the Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services Agency to coordinate a County wide effort to teach the public how to perform “hands-only” CPR.
This service is free to the public and will be held in various locations across Southern California, including Santa Monica, with the goal of increasing the number of lifesavers in the community.
Last year, more than 17,000 people in Southern California learned how to save a life in just five minutes with a quick lesson from local firefighters and medical professionals.
The Santa Monica Fire Department will join these efforts for the fourth year and host free “hands-only” CPR training in Center Plaza at the Santa Monica Place, 395 Santa Monica Place on June 4, from 11 a.m. through 2 p.m.
CPR instructors will be available 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 you can get certified will be available.
Learning “hands-only” CPR helps local emergency responders by focusing on the first few critical minutes following a cardiac arrest. Since the lungs and blood contain only enough oxygen to keep vital organs healthy for that amount of time, bystanders become heroes until emergency responders arrive on scene. With each chest compression using “hands-only” CPR, ordinary citizens can easily provide the ongoing blood flow needed to give the patient a much better chance of survival once responders arrive.
