Article originally published on January 13, 2020.
On Friday, Dec. 20, Fairfield Medical Center and the Greenfield Township Fire Department worked together to accomplish a common goal: to increase CPR awareness in the community. In a single day of training, the team provided hands-only CPR, AED and Stop the Bleed training to over a hundred students at Bloom-Carroll High School. For many of the students, these sessions served as their first exposure to the life-saving education.
Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) affects nearly 425,000 people each year. This life-threatening medical emergency can occur without warning, and is often fatal without immediate medical intervention. In fact, without bystander CPR and/or the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED), the chance of survival plummets to less than 10%.
“Knowing that we were able to train 169 students is an amazing feeling,” said Fire Chief Brad Smith. “It’s important to get as many people – in every age range – trained in at least hands-only CPR. Our department has witnessed the positive results of bystander intervention, and if the awareness level increases, then the likelihood of people jumping in to help save a life increases, too.”
The first responders encouraged students to provide care to anyone that may be suffering a cardiac event. “You might be nervous, you might be scared, and that’s okay,” Lieutenant Carl Reaves shared, “but you have to make the decision to take action. Your help helps us save lives.”
Jennifer Coakley, FMC’s Emergency Department Supervisor, also assisted with training at the local school. “Empowering students with this knowledge and explaining the importance of acting quickly is invaluable,” Coakley said. “Having them know what to do in case of an emergency is like adding members to our team, and that makes a huge difference in patient outcomes.”
For more information about CPR training for your business or organization, contact FMC’s community educator Resa Tobin at 740-687-8477 or resa@fmchealth.org, or reach out to your local first responders to inquire about any training opportunities they may offer.