Emergency situations, although not rare, are simply not a daily occurrence in most people’s lives; they are unexpected, scary, and often chaotic. This is why many of us have been instructed in various forms of “emergency planning” throughout the course of our lives. These instructions come from many different sources, but the informational result is always the same: have an escape route of the house in case of a fire, know where you could hide / what to do in the event of a home invasion, realize that pressure to a wound helps stop bleeding, don’t try to move an injured person, and the list goes on and on. Helpful tips and information like this, when put into practice during the times they are needed most, are instrumental in the saving of lives because they all amount to being prepared for the unexpected.
In the same way, knowing CPR or having taken a CPR certification course is a form of preparation for cardiac emergencies that has been proven to save lives. When a person suffers from cardiac arrest, their heart stops beating which in turn stops their blood from being circulated throughout their body, causing almost immediate damage to internal organs – primarily the brain. In this situation death is imminent unless someone is available to immediately step in and perform CPR, an action that helps continue blood flow, until the victim regains a pulse or EMT personnel arrive. The key in this situation, though, is that word if: if someone is prepared to help the victim, there might be a chance of survival. What happens all too often is many people, even those who are CPR certified, do not take the time to create an emergency plan of what they will do in the event they witness someone suffer from cardiac arrest. The several seconds or minutes of indecision that comes with being unprepared could be fatal for the victim; don’t be that person who remained on the side lines when help could have been provided. Make a plan, be prepared, and decide now how you will act if you are ever faced with the choice to assist someone in need. If you are in need of CPR or First Aid certification click here.
