Have you ever been in a situation where you’ve seen someone suddenly collapse and didn’t know what to do?
Remember, the difference between doing something and doing nothing could be the difference in saving someone’s life.
This is why the Kansas City, Kansas Fire Department is partnering with the University of Kansas Hospital to launch a new program that provides Hands- Only CPR training to citizens in Wyandotte County.
“Effective bystander CPR provided immediately after sudden cardiac arrest dramatically increases a victim’s chances of survival,” says KCK Fire Chief, John Paul Jones. “The HeartSafe Community mission is to empower our citizens to know what to do and the ability to act immediately. The life they save could be a member of the community, a loved one or a friend.”
The HeartSafe Community program will be announced during a news conference in the lobby of City Hall on Thursday, January 17th at 3:00 p.m. with a proclamation by Unified Government Mayor Joe Reardon to promote the community-wide initiative.
The HeartSafe Community program will officially be launched at 5:00 p.m. with a Hands-only CPR video presentation and training provided to the Mayor and Board of Commissioners in the Commission Chambers.
The day will also consist of CPR training to UG staff in the Lobby of City Hall immediately following the news conference.
“We are honored to support the Kansas City Fire Department in their efforts to improve collapse-to-CPR and collapse-to-defibrillation times in Wyandotte County,” said Richard Price, President of the PulsePoint Foundation and retired Fire Chief for San Ramon Valley Fire. “We commend Chief Jones and the members of the KCKFD along with the staff of the University of Kansas Hospital for their innovative efforts to improve cardiac arrest survival rates through improved bystander CPR.”
The HeartSafe Community partnership is one of the first of its kind in the nation and the Unified Government, led by its fire department, wants to take the program to a totally different level by educating as many people throughout the community as possible about the importance of knowing these simple CPR techniques that save lives.
Take a look at these sobering statistics.
- Cardiac arrests are more common than you may think, and it can happen to anyone at any time.
- Nearly 383,000 out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrests occur annually, and 88 percent of cardiac arrests occur at home.
- Many victims appear healthy with no known heart disease or other risk factors.
- Sudden cardiac arrest is not the same as a heart attack. Sudden cardiac arrest occurs when electrical impulses in the heart become rapid or chaotic, which causes the heart to suddenly stop beating.
- A heart attack occurs when the blood supply to part of the heart muscle is blocked. A heart attack may cause cardiac arrest.
1. Early access to emergency
2. Early Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
3. Early defibrillation
4. Early advanced care
Hands-only CPR is highly effective and is a simple and easy process for untrained bystanders. The hands only technique consists of uninterrupted chest compressions without mouth-to-mouth rescue breathing. CPR helps oxygenated blood flowing to the brain and other vital organs until paramedics arrive or additional medical treatment is available to restore a normal heart rhythm.
Heart Safe Kansas Community was developed by the Heart and Stroke Alliance of Kansas (HSAK) which is facilitated through the Kansas Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program (KHDSP), housed within the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE).
KCKFD and KU Hospital submitted a letter of intent in December of last year. A minimum of 250 untrained bystanders are required to be trained the hands-only CPR technique within a year’s time as part of the application process.
The KCKFD expects to train far more than the minimum requirement. A sign entering the city that reads, “You are Now Entering a Heart Safe Community,” is a goal the KCKFD is determined to achieve, which comes along with the official designation of being named a “HeartSafe Community” through the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
