San Rafael, CA – In the time it takes to listen to the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive,” you can learn how to save real lives by stopping bleeding and conducting hands-only CPR. The ninth annual “Don’t Miss a Beat” training event is taking place at venues all over Marin County on Saturday, June 9. With less than five minutes of coaching, you could set yourself up for life-saving heroics.
Dozens of passers-by received training last year at the Sausalito Ferry Terminal.
During a four-hour span that day, the
Marin County Emergency Medical Services Agency (Marin EMS), the
Marin County Fire Department and
Marin County Health and Human Services (HHS) are working with other Marin County health providers
to teach hands-only CPR and “stop the bleed” techniques to anybody 8 years old and up. There is no appointment necessary. Visitors can swing by any of the 10 “Don’t Miss a Beat” locations between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. to learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency first aid at no cost.
Marin HHS said 1,638 people participated in local “Don’t Miss a Beat” training last year, a year when 40 percent of cardiac arrest patients received assistance from a bystander in the minutes before a professional first responder arrived.
“Our first responders get to emergencies as quickly as they can, but a lot of good can be done in the minutes while a bystander is waiting for that help to arrive,” said registered nurse Karrie Groves, a program coordinator for Marin EMS. “It’s proven that bystander CPR can double or triple a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival.”
Stop the Bleed is a national awareness campaign launched by the White House to encourage bystanders to become trained and empowered to help victims of bleeding emergencies before professional help arrives. “Blood loss is the leading cause of preventable death in multicausality incidents, car crashes, earthquakes, and industrial accidents. Rapid control of bleeding at the scene of an event can be life-saving,” said Groves.
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 in the non-certified training are eligible for raffle prizes from community partners who support the cause.
San Francisco Giants game tickets, wine tours from Hanzell Vineyards and Viansa Sonoma, and gift certificates from Matt and Jeff’s Car Wash, SoulCycle, and Mike’s Bikes are just a few of the raffle prizes and sponsors for “Don’t Miss a Beat.” The Marin County Medical Reserve Corps Foundation also provides invaluable support along with a dedicated team of volunteers.
More information can be found at ems.marinhhs.org or the American Heart Association’s hands-only CPR video.
Learn to save a life at the following locations June 9:
- Bon Air Shopping Center (Greenbrae)
- Cardenas Market (San Rafael)
- Corte Madera Town Center
- Fairfax Festival
- Marin Country Mart (Larkspur)
- Matt & Jeff’s Car Wash (Novato)
- Muir Beach parking lot
- Novato Festival of Art, Wine & Music, Grant Avenue
- Sausalito Ferry Terminal
- Toby’s Feed Barn (Pt. Reyes Station)