The Richmond Ambulance Authority (RAA), in partnership with the American Heart Association (AHA), will be holding unplanned pop-up and planned Hands-Only CPR and AED demonstrations across the City of Richmond for National CPR and AED Awareness Week, June 1-7.  The demonstrations are part of an effort to raise awareness about the importance of knowing how to perform and use these lifesaving skills and equipment in the event of a sudden cardiac arrest.

The pop-up demonstrations will occur at unannounced times and locations throughout the City to illustrate how a sudden cardiac arrest can happen anywhere at any time. In addition, RAA and AHA will be holding scheduled demonstrations at two different times and locations in partnership with The Flying Squirrels and St. Paul’s Baptist Church.

 

Saturday, June 3, 6:05 p.m.

The Diamond

3001 N Arthur Ashe Boulevard

Richmond, Virginia 23230

 

Sunday, June 11, 1:30 p.m.

The St. Paul’s Baptist Church

700 E Belt Boulevard

Richmond, Virginia 23224

 

The Richmond Flying Squirrels on-field demonstration will take place before the game on Superhero Night, as anyone can be a superhero by learning Hands-Only CPR. The St. Paul’s Baptist Church demonstration will follow Sunday service in support of the church’s mission: “Finding Needs and Meeting Them, Finding Problems and Solving Them, and Finding Hurts and Healing Them.”

Knowing Hands-Only CPR and how to use an AED can double or triple a person’s chance of survival. More than 350,000 cardiac arrests happen outside of a hospital each year. Unfortunately, only about 46% of people who experience a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital get the immediate help they need from a bystander before professional help arrives. These skills are especially important in the workplace. There are about 10,000 cardiac arrests in the workplace in the U.S. each year and only 50% of people can locate an AED at their job. So far this year, RAA has responded to nearly 300 sudden cardiac arrests.

In addition to learning Hands-Only CPR and how to use an AED, people can download the free PulsePoint app which notifies residents and off-duty professionals who are trained in CPR about nearby cardiac arrests and the Pulsepoint AED app which identifies the location of the nearest AEDs so individuals can assist in the event of an emergency. You can learn more about the PulsePoint apps at pulsepoint.org.

 

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About the Richmond Ambulance Authority: In 1991, the Richmond City Council and the City Manager implemented an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system that placed the patient first and guaranteed its performance to the City’s residents. Today, the Richmond Ambulance Authority responds to nearly 200 calls per day and transports, on average, 150 patients per day. RAA is one of only 32 EMS agencies in the United States accredited by both the Commission on the Accreditation of Ambulance Services and the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch. RAA is also a Commonwealth of Virginia Accredited Dispatch Center. RAA’s staff has consistently received local, state, and national recognition for their work in EMS. In 2022 RAA staff members were recognized by the Old Dominion EMS Alliance (ODEMSA) in twp categories at the ODEMSA Regional Awards.