At the core of our mission and who we are is a simple statement. Care. We care about you and that’s why we invest in the best staff, the best equipment, and hold ourselves to the highest standard. We care because we have families of our own. And because we care, we want to talk about the importance of becoming CPR certified.
Here are a few facts about CPR:
- When someone stops breathing, or the heart stops beating, he or she typically can survive for only 4 to 6 minutes before lack of oxygen can result in brain damage or death. CPR can buy extra time for your loved one, until professional help can arrive, by artificially circulating oxygen to the brain.
- Over 70% of all cardiac and breathing emergencies occur in the home when a family member is present and available to help a victim.
- Accidental injuries, including choking and drowning, are the leading cause of death in children — and send over 16 million kids a year to the emergency room. In both instances of choking and drowning, CPR can be used to save lives.
- Over 1.5 million heart attacks occur each year, and approximately 350,000 of these people die before ever reaching a hospital.
- CPR saves lives. Statistics show that the earlier CPR is initiated, the greater the chances of survival. In fact, the American Heart Association estimates that 100,000 to 200,000 lives of adults and children could be saved each year if CPR were performed early enough.
EMS Response Time is Around 8 Minutes
If the average response time of an EMS unit is about 8 minutes, then on average, whoever is in need of CPR or an AED has already been dead almost two minutes without aid. As someone who has been CPR/AED certified for over 8 years, I can say that CPR save lives. I managed a small private pool for a gym for a few years when I was a teenager. One morning at a 6:30am cycling class, a man had a heart attack and fell off of his bike. One minute he was cycling away, and the next he was on the ground with no pulse and no heartbeat. Fortunately for this man, one of the lifeguards was in the cycling class and immediately started CPR. It took the EMS over 8 minutes to arrive. In that time, she had to preform CPR to keep his heart pumping blood and delivering oxygen to the brain. The EMS arrived, took over and left. At the hospital, the doctor told this girl that had she not been there, this man would be dead.
Becoming CPR Certified
Becoming CPR certified is a necessity. Not only could you save a stranger’s life, you may have to save someone close to you. Not being certified could be the difference in them living or dying. Get CPR certified today. Together, we can reduce the number of people that don’t survive a cardiac emergency. Read about some stories of people being saved below, as well as how and where to get CPR certified.