ST JOHN Ambulance is running interactive CPR demonstrations, to help people feel confident to use a defibrillator.
In order to increase public awareness of the importance of delivering prompt CPR and deploying a defibrillator, St John Ambulance is running events in communities across England throughout October as part of Restart a Heart Day.
The national awareness campaign is led by the Resuscitation Council UK which aims to create more lifesavers by teaching CPR and defibrillator awareness.
National clinical lead for resuscitation at St John Ambulance, David Bowen, said: “A cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any time, and the sooner a person receives chest compressions and defibrillation, the higher their chances are of survival.
“It isn’t what we at St John, or our NHS colleagues do, that matters most – it’s what the public can do to help in those first crucial moments.
“The next leap forward in increasing survival rates from out of hospital cardiac arrests will come by increasing the number of people in our communities that are trained and confident to Phone, Push, Press.
“Defibrillators are simple and safe to use, tell you what to do and won’t shock unless they need to.
“We would love to show you how simple they are, so as part of this year’s Restart a Heart campaign, our volunteers will be sharing their lifesaving skills with local communities through free first aid awareness sessions.”
St John Ambulance will be holding a CPR demonstration from 8am to 8pm on Saturday, October 21, at the Kingfisher Shopping Centre.
Visit sja.org.uk/RestartAHeart for more information.
