CPR training will be offered at Three Rivers Festival

Press release from the City:

City offering free hands-only CPR training downtown as part of summer festival
One-hour non-certified class available to anyone 12 and older

Mayor Tom Henry in cooperation with the Three Rivers CPR Task Force will offer free hands-only CPR training as part of the Fort Wayne Newspapers Three Rivers Festival.

“Don’t Miss a Beat” training will be available to the public July 15 at the Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Community Center, 233 W. Main St. Classes start at 9 a.m., 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.

The one-hour class will train community members ages 12 and older how to give effective chest compressions – using manikins or special kits – to adults who have suffered a heart attack. The classes are taught by trained and experienced CPR instructors who volunteer their time for this program.

The July event is the third time the City and Three Rivers Ambulance Authority, American Red Cross, Focus on Health, Fort Wayne-Allen County Department of Health, Parkview Health and Lutheran Health Network have offered this non-certified training. The two previous sessions have trained more than 400 people how to use hands-only CPR.

“Don’t Miss a Beat’s hands-only CPR training fits with three of the themes of the Fort Wayne Newspapers Three Rivers Festival: no cost to participate, providing an event for all ages and fun,” said Mayor Henry. “You probably don’t expect a class that teaches you a life-saving skill to be entertaining, but the people who have taken the Don’t Miss a Beat class before tell us that’s been very informative and the professional instructors make it fun while also worthwhile.”

Compression or hands-only CPR focuses on chest compressions only, no breaths, to keep blood moving in an adult victim whose heart has stopped beating. It has become increasingly popular in recent years as research has shown it to be effective in helping to save lives.

Anyone completing the training July 15 will receive a “Bring a Friend for Free” coupon for those paying for a CPR certification class through the American Red Cross of Northeast Indiana.

The buy one, get one free certificate, a $50 value, can be used for the Red Cross’s adult, child, infant CPR training class through December 31, 2009. The certificate does not have to be used by the person who attends the July training.

“If you’ve never taken a CPR class or want review skills you learned awhile back, Don’t Miss a Beat is designed for you,” said Erin McDonald, American Red Cross of Northeast Indiana’s Director of Preparedness & Safety Solutions. “This class is designed for anyone 12 and older and we have experienced instructors who will make sure you understand what to do if you see an adult suffer a cardiac arrest including directions on how to call for help and how to properly give chest compressions.”

During 2005 and 2006, TRAA responded to 452 cardiac arrest cases that happened outside a medical setting, according to numbers from the Emergency Medical Services Foundation here in Fort Wayne. Of those, only 17 percent of victims received bystander CPR.

“In 2008, Fort Wayne had about a 37 percent save rate for cardiac arrests, which is impressive as compared to national statistics, but we can increase the number of survivors if more people knew CPR,” said Gary Booher, TRAA Executive Director. “Early bystander CPR, in addition to early access to 911 emergency dispatch, first responders with AED capabilities in 4 minutes and advanced life support-capable ambulance in 8 minutes are the major components necessary for greatest survivability, according to research.”

To register for the training or to find out more, visit on-line, call 427-1164 or e-mail. Space for each session is limited to 90 participants so pre-registration is encouraged. Walk-in registrations will be accepted as space allows.

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