Full Notification

Ninety percent of people who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrests die. It just takes five minutes to learn how to keep a cardiac arrest victim alive until paramedics arrive! The County of Los Angeles Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Agency is once again coordinating free hands-only CPR training on Sidewalk CPR Day, June 4, at over 70 sites across Los Angeles County to help improve cardiac survivability. Last year, more than 7,000 people in Los Angeles County learned how to save a life in just a few minutes with a quick lesson from local firefighters and medical professionals. This year, the goal is to train at least 10,000 more.

Hands-only CPR focuses on the first few minutes following a cardiac arrest, since the lungs and blood contain only enough oxygen to keep vital organs healthy for that amount of time. While emergency responders are on their way to the scene, chest compressions using hands-only CPR will provide the ongoing blood flow needed to give the patient a much better chance of survival once responders arrive.

Less than three percent of the nearly 326,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims survive nationwide. Only 39 percent of victims receive CPR from a bystander. Don’t be a bystander in a cardiac emergency – be a lifesaver! For a list of training sites, visit www.fire.lacounty.gov/sidewalkcpr/.