Sonoma Valley Fire and Rescue to Host Hands-Only CPR Class

There's a Week for just about everything, but few sound as important as National Emergency Medical Services Week, May 20 - 26.

It's a good time for the Sonoma Valley Fire & Rescue Authority to help people learn to take care of medical emergencies on their own, right away, as quick care can often mean the difference between living and dying. Hands-only CPR is a key first step in saving a life.

Hands-Only CPR is CPR without mouth-to-mouth breaths. It is recommended for use by people who see a teen or adult suddenly collapse in an “out-of-hospital” setting (such as at home, at work or in a park). It consists of two easy steps:

1. Call 9-1-1 (or send someone to do that).
2. Push hard and fast in the center of the chest. 

Hands-only CPR is easy to learn, easy to perform and has proven to make a dramatic increase in the survival of victims of sudden cardiac arrest.

The Fire & Rescue will be hosting a free “hands-only” CPR class on May 22, 2013, from 10 a.m. till 4 p.m., at their Second Street West location in Sonoma.

The instruction takes 10 – 20 minutes and is open to anyone who would like to attend. The class is an "awareness level" course and doesn’t involve any certifications or prerequisites.

Since the implementation of hands-only CPR and other modifications to how CPR is preformed, both in and out of the hospital setting, there has been a dramatic increase in out-of-hospital survival from cardiac arrest.

"Since hands-only CPR doesn’t require you to place your mouth on the victim’s mouth to breathe for them, we have seen an increase in the number of people who are willing to perform the procedure on someone they didn’t know," reads a statement from Robert Norrbom, Division Chief.

"We encourage everyone, young and old, to take twenty minutes out of their day and visit us for a quick and informative class. In ten to twenty minutes, you can learn a skill that may save someone’s life."