North Okanagan residents have an opportunity to learn life-saving techniques.
St. John Ambulance will offer free CPR instruction to the public Nov. 19 at its 47th Avenue training facility in Vernon.
“Knowledge of CPR is such a critical issue,” said Jeff Nelson, branch manager. “Statistics indicate that more than 80 per cent of all cardiac arrests occur in the home and our goal is to have one person in every household trained in CPR.”
According to Nelson, saving lives requires quick response by bystanders to perform CPR until emergency medical responders arrive.
“In far too many cases, CPR is not performed and by the time paramedics are on site with defibrillators to shock the heart and restore breathing,. it’s too late,” he said.
“People don’t always understand that cardiac arrest is a treatable condition and our job at St. John Ambulance is to both educate people about cardiac arrest and to train them in CPR.”
Instruction is free Nov. 19 but registration is required. For more information or to register, call 250-545-4200.
