St. John Ambulance Wants to Teach You How to Save Someone’s Life
February 21, 2011 (Toronto, ON) – When people are asked to picture a cardiac arrest many conjure images of medical dramas with gallant doctors riding gurneys, and miraculously pounding a person back to life. However life outside of television is seldom so dramatic. The majority of cardiac arrests take place at home and are often un-witnessed.
In a study performed by the Ontario Pre-hospital Care Study Group, it was discovered 79.6% of cardiac arrests that took place within the study group (consisting of 1,510 people) occurred at home, with only 18% of casualties receiving CPR intervention.
The Public Health Agency of Canada reports that for every minute that passes without CPR intervention, an individual’s chances of surviving is reduced by up to 10%. Early administration of CPR and Automated External Defibrillation (AED) drastically improves the odds of a casualty surviving to the hospital.
St. John Ambulance would like people across Ontario to take steps to heart guard their homes, including getting familiar with the “Keystones to Survival”.
- Early Recognition – Learn the signs and symptoms of cardiac arrest.
- Early Access – Seek medical attention as soon as symptoms are present. On average, heart attack casualties take 4½ hours to get to a hospital from the onset of symptoms. The main reason for this delay is that it takes people a long time to accept something serious is wrong. The sooner you get help, the better your chances of survival and recovery.
- Early CPR – Once a casualty drops it is critical they receive immediate CPR to keep their heart pumping and blood circulating.
- Early Defibrillation – Few homes in Ontario are outfitted with their own Automated External Defibrillator. That is why it is so important to seek medical assistance immediately. The sooner a defibrillator is engaged the better the odds of survival.
Another important step in heart guarding your home is to get trained in first aid and CPR. Knowing what to do in an emergency will give you the confidence to help your loved ones until EMS arrives. For information on first aid training and CPR contact your local St. John Ambulance Branch Office, or visit
www.sja.ca/on.
For over 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, 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/on