San Rafael, CA – What percentage of cardiac arrest patients received assistance from a bystander in the minutes before a professional first responder arrived? For the Marin County Fire Department and other County of Marin providers in 2015, that number was 46 percent, a number that keeps getting bigger each year.
A 'Don't Miss a Beat' training at Vista Point.
But how to keep growing it? The
Marin County Emergency Medical Services Agency (Marin EMS) is offering its seventh annual “Don’t Miss a Beat: Hands-Only CPR” event on Saturday, June 11, at 21 venues all over Marin County. Last June, more than 1,500 people learned CPR at 18 venues during the local “Don’t Miss a Beat” event.
“Imagine the comforting feeling you’d have if every adult was trained to save your own life,” said registered nurse Karrie Groves, a program coordinator for Marin EMS. “Effective bystander CPR provided immediately after a sudden cardiac arrest can double or triple a victim’s chance of survival. We like those odds a lot better than the alternative.”
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 11, the public can learn how to perform hands-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation and assist a person who has experienced a sudden cardiac arrest. In just five minutes, anyone age 8 or older can learn a skill they hope to never use.
Every year in Marin, more than 200 people suffer cardiac arrest outside of a hospital. “The hands-only method is a simple and effective way to save a life and does not require mouth-to-mouth breathing” Groves said.
The non-certified trainings will take place in 21 locations around Marin. Local doctors, nurses, paramedics, emergency medical technicians and firefighters will teach hands-only CPR and the use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) that help keep hearts beating. Participants are eligible for raffle prizes from community partners who support the cause.
More information can be found at www.MarinEMS.org and www.handsonlycpr.org.
Learn to save a life at the following locations June 11:
Bon Air Shopping Center (Greenbrae)
Corte Madera Town Park
The Depot (Mill Valley)
Fairfax Festival
Golden Gate Bridge Vista Point Overlook
Marin Country Mart (Larkspur Landing)
Marin French Cheese Factory (Hicks Valley)
Mi Pueblo Foods (San Rafael)
Mike’s Bikes (Marin City)
Muir Beach parking lot
Muir Woods National Monument
Novato Festival, Grant Avenue
Strawberry Village Shopping Center
Sausalito Ferry Terminal
Throckmorton Fire Station
Tiburon Ferry Plaza
Toby’s Feed Barn (Pt. Reyes Station)
Tomales Bakery
Vintage Oaks Shopping Center (Novato)
Woodacre Market
Woodlands Market (Tiburon)