Ambulance Tasmania has joined forces with St John’s Ambulance, Red Cross, the Heart Foundation and the Australian Resuscitation Council today to encourage more people to learn Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and help save lives.
Staff and volunteers of all three organisations today conducted CPR demonstrations for students at both Ogilvie High School and Riverside High School as part of Restart a Heart Day.
Each year 23,000 Australians suffer a cardiac arrest. That’s 63 people every day.
But sadly only one in 10 survive.
Together we can beat that and improve cardiac arrest survival rates by knowing what to do in a health emergency.
A person suffering a heart attack is five times more likely to survive if CPR is performed.
Restart a Heart Day is an annual event celebrated around the world on October 16.
The campaign aims to educate the community about the importance of CPR and how to use an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) in a health emergency.
Ultimately we want every Australian to know how to do CPR and use an AED in a health emergency.
If the heart stops pumping, it is known as a cardiac arrest and it can occur without warning.
It is triggered by an electrical malfunction in the heart that causes an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia).
This malfunction can stop the heart from pumping blood around the body.
Performing CPR is extremely important in this situation by enabling blood to continue to be supplied to vital organs, such as the brain, before an ambulance arrives.
Three simple steps could save a life of someone you know and love.
Training in CPR can be provided by organisations such as Red Cross and St John Ambulance.