If you’re going to have a heart attack, the optimal place to have it would be in a hospital.
But that’s unlikely. About 70 percent of cardiac failures occur at home, and what’s scary about that is that they are fatal about 90 percent of the time unless someone is on hand to help out.
That’s a two-step process: 1) Call 911 to get emergency services on the way, and 2) do CPR, which can double or triple survival chances, according to Michelle McLees of the American Heart Association.
It only takes a few minutes to learn this simple procedure, hands-only CPR. There are two opportunities for metro Richmond residents to learn the technique:
- Community Day, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 15, at Richmond Fire Department 21, 2505 Jefferson Davis Highway; and
- The 20th Annual Summer Safety Fair, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 26, at Chimborazo Park, 3215 E. Broad St.
“We want as many people as possible to learn CPR,” says Mark Tenia of Richmond Ambulance Authority. “It helps save a life.”
