OFPD provides CPR Training to Bridge Teen Center staff

March 28, 2014 | Filed under: Community,Features,Municipalities | Posted by: admin +

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OFPD provides CPR Training to Bridge Teen Center staff

Officials of the Orland Fire Protection District provided a hands-on training session for the administrators and the staff of the Bridge Teen Center Monday in using the AED, Automated External Defibrillator which can increase the chances of survival for victims of heart related emergencies.

The Foundation donated the AED to the Bridge Teen Center at 15555 S. 71^st Court, a place where teens and young people gather to enjoy a wide range of after-school and summer programs.

CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) training was provided by two retired members of the Orland Fire Protection District, Lt. Chris Smith and Engineer Robert Palermo, who offered hands on instructions on the proper way to administer CPR and proper use of an AED.

“The AED is very easy to use,” Smith explained noting that once you know how to apply the device, the device offers instructions on what steps need to be taken in emergency situations.

“Statistics have shown that if you can shock an adult patient in the first minute of cardiac arrest, when there is no breathing and no heart beat, there is over a 90 percent chance of saving them. After 5 minutes it drops 50 percent. And it drops 5 to 7 percent for every minute after that. AEDs can save lives.”

Smith said that giving a patient those extra few minutes while an ambulance is arriving to respond to the emergency can make the difference between life and death. AEDs are portable electronic devices that diagnose life threatening cardiac arrhythmia and ventricular tachycardia in patients. Once diagnosed, the device assists in treating the victim through electrical impulses that stimulate the heart, allowing the heart to reestablish its own rhythm.

The Orland Fire Protection District is expanding its “Community CARE” program to provide CPR and emergency training to the staff of businesses and organizations throughout the district.

Community CARE encourages businesses to purchase an AED, or Automatic External Defibrillator, which fire officials said can increases the likelihood of survival for victims experiencing a heart attack or other heart related emergencies.

The Orland Fire Protection District Community CARE Program is dedicated to the proposition that, when it comes down to those precious minutes following sudden cardiac arrest, planning saves lives.

The program’s primary mission is two-fold: to increase the number of people trained in CPR and the use of an AED and to increase the availability of public access to Defibrillators (PADs). Furthermore, the program aims to create a monitoring / maintenance program ensuring CPR skills remain current and defibrillator batteries and pads remain operational.

Community CARE is modeled from a successful Seattle Washington program, boasting a near 50% survival rate in reducing fatalities from cardiac arrest for over three decades.

The cost of AED devices range between $800 to $3,000, officials said. Currently, AEDs are located at many schools and businesses in Orland Park. Officials said every school has an AED with trained staff. Last month, OFPD officials offered training to staff and employees at Mercedes Benz of Orland Park, which has two AED devices.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure that preserves blood circulation and brain function of a person in cardiac arrest through manual chest compressions. CPR creates artificial blood circulation through the heart until spontaneous blood circulation and breathing in a person in cardiac arrest can be restored.

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