In 2010, the American Heart Association (AHA) celebrated the 50th anniversary of modern-era CPR. The AHA urged medical personnel to train as many people as they could to perform this life-saving skill. The Marin County Emergency Medical Services Agency (EMS) set a goal to train Marin County residents and visitors to perform compression-only, or “Hands-Only,” CPR.
A decision was made to hold annual events on the first Saturday in June, celebrating National CPR and AED Week. In 2010, the EMS Agency and its volunteers trained 726 people in four hours, surpassing all expectations. Since then, the numbers have climbed and this year the Agency trained 2,129 participants in “Hands Only” CPR. The venues, which include shopping malls, festivals, bike paths, grocery stores, and even the Larkspur Ferry, are extremely supportive of our efforts to create an army of trained bystanders who are ready to step in when needed. Instruction is free and only takes five minutes to learn. Map of Hands-Only CPR Training Locations
“Hands-Only” CPR is CPR without breaths. This newer method of CPR has been shown to be as effective as conventional CPR in the first few minutes of an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. About 80% of cardiac arrests occur in private residential settings, and it has been demonstrated that CPR can triple a victim’s chance of survival.
Find more information on Hands-Only CPR at www.MarinEMS.org