St. John Ambulance Challenges Ontarians to Get Trained and Save a Life
October 19, 2009 (Toronto, ON) – A study conducted by the Ontario Prehospital Care Study Group discovered that a person who suffers a heart attack outside of hospital in Ontario has only a 2.5% chance of survival; that is the lowest reported rate across the country.
So why are the chances of surviving an out of hospital heart attack so low in Ontario? The answer is a lack of CPR and AED training. There are simply not enough people in the province trained to save a life. When a person has a heart attack it is critical they receive immediate medical attention. Every minute they go without CPR or AED their chance of survival decreases by 10%, and since it can take an ambulance upwards of eight minutes to arrive the casualty is dependent on bystanders for survival.
Bystanders are a critical part of the “Keystones to Survival,” which include early recognition, early access, early CPR and early defibrillation. Everyone in Ontario should work at being the best bystander possible:
- Get Trained – The more you know, the more confident you are to handle an emergency.
- Get Involved – Don’t assume because other people have witnessed an incident they have called for help or offered assistance. Be a Good Samaritan; offer your help (if possible) and call 9-1-1.
- Get Familiar – If you frequent a mall or any other public space note whether or not there is an AED on site. If there is, remember where it’s located; in an emergency you’ll want to be able to access it as quickly as possible.
- Get Active – Encourage the community around you. Take family and friends to get trained, ask businesses in your area to keep an AED on site and support legislation that will put AEDs in public spaces.
For more information on CPR and AED and how you can train to save a life, contact your local St. John Ambulance or visit
www.sja.ca. To read the study “Cardiac arrest in Ontario: circumstances, community response, role of prehospital defibrillation and predictors of survival” visit,
www.cmaj.ca.
For 125 years, St. John Ambulance has been training over 140,000 Ontarians annually in first aid and other health care related courses and remains dedicated to saving lives at work, home and play. With over 4,000 volunteers contributing over half a million hours of community service a year, St. John Ambulance is an integral part of the community offering such unique and innovative programs as; medical first response, disaster response, car seat clinics, health and safety related youth programs and therapy dog services. As a charitable, non-denominational, humanitarian organization, proceeds from St. John Ambulance’s first aid training and first aid product sales directly support these vital community services programs. For more information on St. John Ambulance training courses and volunteer opportunities or to contact your local branch, visit
www.sja.ca