Drowning is among the leading causes of death for children under the age of 4, and with the weather warming, many families will head to a pool or beach to enjoy their summer vacation. In an effort to prepare people for the emergency situations that could arise during these times, local residents are invited to one of the multiple CPR workshops occuring this Thursday around town.
Multiple agencies are partnering to host the workshops on Sidewalk CPR Day, which is a countywide initiative to teach residents “hands-only” CPR techniques during National CPR Week.
“It will take residents just five minutes to learn from local firefighters the steps needed to keep a potential drowning victim, or someone experiencing sudden cardiac arrest, alive until paramedics arrive,” city officials said in a news release Monday, mentioning the events are free and require no appointments.
Two of Thursday’s four CPR training sessions are scheduled to be held between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at both the Old Town Newhall Library and Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital, while the remaining two will run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Central Park — near the outdoor basketball courts and Field 10 — and the Apple Store in the Westfield Valencia Town Center.
“I encourage everyone, especially parents, to take advantage of this free event,” said Assistant Fire Chief Anderson Mackey. “Having the basic knowledge of CPR can allow bystanders to provide that lifesaving bridge between the time of an accident and the arrival of first responders.”
Hands-Only CPR has been shown to be as effective as conventional CPR for cardiac arrest at home, at work or in public, Henry Mayo officials added in the news release, which encouraged viewers to visit heart.org/handsonlycpr to watch a 90-second Hands-Only CPR instructional video.
For more information on the Sidewalk CPR events, visit fire.lacounty.gov/sidewalkcpr or contact Tamar Avakian at 661-200-1181.
