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Sidewalk CPR Day Offers Free Life-Saving Training

In conjunction with “Sidewalk CPR Day,” residents in Los Angeles County will get the opportunity to receive free hands-only CPR training this week in an effort to increase the amount of people with knowledge of lifesaving techniques in the county.


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The Los Angeles County Fire Department, in partnership with the American Heart Association, Los Angeles Fire Department, Anthem Blue Cross Foundation and the County of Los Angeles Emergency Medical Services, teamed up to bring this training to the community.

The training is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, June 5 at 36 different locations within Los Angeles County.

In 2017, over 5,000 people in the county participated in the Sidewalk CPR Day training and learned how to save a life from local firefighters and medical professionals.

This year, Sidewalk CPR Day officials hope to train 7,000 people with the lifesaving techniques.

In 2017, there were 6,553 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the county, according to the Los Angeles County EMS Agency.

Nearly 30 percent of cardiac arrest victims received medical assistance from bystanders who were able to administer CPR before first responders arrived, according to county officials.

As of late April, approximately 2,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest incidents have occurred, with CPR administered by bystanders to 34 percent of victims.
Many people don’t perform CPR because they don’t know what to do or they are afraid of hurting the person, officials said.

Cathy Chidester, director of the Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services Agency, reiterated the importance of the public having CPR knowledge.

“Every second counts in cardiac arrest, which is why bystanders are absolutely critical in an emergency,” Chidester said. “It’s evident that the public is understanding the importance of CPR because the EMS Agency has observed an increase in the number of patients receiving bystander CPR when paramedics arrive. But we still need to do more to educate Los Angeles County residents about hands-only CPR, and Sidewalk CPR Day is one important way we can train future lifesavers so they’ll feel empowered to act if they witness a cardiac emergency.”

About 90 percent of people who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrests die. If CPR is performed immediately, a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival is tripled, according to the American Heart Association.

Julie Carruthers, board member for the American Heart Association’s Los Angeles County Division, commented on the intended message Sidewalk CPR Day hopes to deliver.

“Most people feel helpless to act during a cardiac emergency because they don’t know how to administer CPR or are afraid of hurting the victim,” Carruthers said. “Our message is: do not be afraid. Your actions can only help. We hope Angelenos will take advantage of the free trainings.”

Universal CityWalk is expected to host one of the 36 training courses on Sidewalk CPR Day, where participants will learn via interactive sessions set to music at 5 Towers Stage.

In order to teach participants the hands-only CPR method, Anthem Blue Cross Foundation will use songs with 100-120 BPM as a guideline for chest compression rate.

With the support of the Anthem Blue Cross Foundation, participants will practice hands-only CPR using songs that are 100 to 120 beats per minutes, which is the rate you should push on the chest during CPR.
Manan Shah, general manager of Individual Commercial Business at Anthem Blue Cross, shared some information about out-of-hospital cardiac arrests within the county.

“With 70 percent of all out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occurring at home, a person will likely be trying to save the life of someone they know and love,” Shah said. “Our training with the American Heart Association and local agencies is a valuable way to provide greater access to learn this life-saving skill and help meet the association’s goal to double bystander response by 2020.”

To learn more about the American Heart Association Hands-Only CPR campaign, click here.

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Sidewalk CPR Day Offers Free Life-Saving Training

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About Gilbert Bernal

Gilbert A. Bernal Jr. has been part of the KHTS video department since Jan 2017. He was hired as video editor in June 2017 after his four-month internship in the video department. While serving as a video intern, his duties were extended to become a multimedia journalist, producing news videos for KHTS News and Features. Gilbert was added to the KHTS team as part of the station’s continued growth and expansion. An Army veteran, father and local artist Gilbert has dedicated time and energy to volunteering at schools in the Santa Clarita Valley. At Pinetree Community Elementary School, in Canyon Country, Gilbert donated art for school auctions, photographed events and painted murals. At Canyon High, he gave two art demonstrations for the “Yes I Can” organization, a peer counseling class that focuses on learning about disabilities, social inclusion, and tolerance. Starting in Feb 2017 Gilbert launched the “KHTS Man On the Street” video features which gather and reports local opinion of Santa Clarita residents on current issues or events. A return student at College of the Canyons since 2014, Gilbert has been apart of the Media Entertainment Arts department working as a college assistant. After enrolling into the film program in 2014, he was hired to work in the camera equipment room (The Cage). There he helps students with film equipment rentals and technical advice. Gilbert received his associates degree in Film Production from College of the Canyons in 2017. He is continuing his educational path and plans to attend CSUN in Fall 2018 to work for a Bachelor's degree in Film.