OFPD provides CPR Training to Bridge Teen Center staff
Officials of
the Orland Fire Protection District provided a hands-on training session for
the administrators and the staff of the Bridge Teen Center Monday in using the
AED, Automated External Defibrillator which can increase the chances of
survival for victims of heart related emergencies.
The Foundation
donated the AED to the Bridge Teen Center at 15555 S. 71st Court, a
place where teens and young people gather to enjoy a wide range of after-school
and summer programs.
CPR
(Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) training was provided by two retired members of
the Orland Fire Protection District, Lt. Chris Smith and Engineer Robert
Palermo, who offered hands on instructions on the proper way to administer CPR
and proper use of an AED.
“The AED is
very easy to use,” Smith explained noting that once you know how to apply the
device, the device offers instructions on what steps need to be taken in
emergency situations.
“Statistics
have shown that if you can shock an adult patient in the first minute of
cardiac arrest, when there is no breathing and no heart beat, there is over a
90 percent chance of saving them. After 5 minutes it drops 50 percent. And it
drops 5 to 7 percent for every minute after that. AEDs can save lives.”
Smith said
that giving a patient those extra few minutes while an ambulance is arriving to
respond to the emergency can make the difference between life and death. AEDs are
portable electronic devices that diagnose life threatening cardiac arrhythmia
and ventricular tachycardia in patients. Once diagnosed, the device assists in
treating the victim through electrical impulses that stimulate the heart,
allowing the heart to reestablish its own rhythm.
The Orland
Fire Protection District is expanding its “Community CARE” program to provide
CPR and emergency training to the staff of businesses and organizations
throughout the district.
Community CARE
encourages businesses to purchase an AED, or Automatic External Defibrillator,
which fire officials said can increases the likelihood of survival for victims
experiencing a heart attack or other heart related emergencies.
The Orland Fire Protection District Community CARE Program is
dedicated to the proposition that, when it comes down to those precious minutes
following sudden cardiac arrest, planning saves lives.
The program’s primary mission is two-fold: to increase the number of
people trained in CPR and the use of an AED and to increase the availability of
public access to Defibrillators (PADs). Furthermore, the program aims to create
a monitoring / maintenance program ensuring CPR skills remain current and
defibrillator batteries and pads remain operational.
Community CARE is modeled from a successful Seattle Washington
program, boasting a near 50% survival rate in reducing fatalities from cardiac
arrest for over three decades.
The cost of AED
devices range between $800 to $3,000, officials said. Currently, AEDs are
located at many schools and businesses in Orland Park. Officials said every
school has an AED with trained staff. Last month, OFPD officials offered
training to staff and employees at Mercedes Benz of Orland Park, which has two
AED devices.
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure that
preserves blood circulation and brain function of a person in cardiac arrest
through manual chest compressions. CPR creates artificial blood circulation
through the heart until spontaneous blood circulation and breathing in a person
in cardiac arrest can be restored.
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