Firefighters urge everyone to learn and practice hands-only CPR to potentially save lives during the holiday season. Research shows more cardiac deaths occur in the U.S. on December 25 than on any other day of the year, followed by December 26 and January 1.
South County Fire has an overall cardiac arrest survival rate twice the national average, due largely to a science-based approach to cardiac arrest response.
“We respond to a cardiac arrest about every 36 hours,” said Shaughn Maxwell, South County Fire Assistant Chief of EMS, Health and Safety. “Nine to 12 firefighters are dispatched to a CPR call and each of those firefighters is working simultaneously in a very specific, life-saving role.”
Those firefighter roles in response to cardiac arrest include:
CPR (1-5 firefighters): Quality is key. Every second without high-quality CPR significantly reduces the chance of survival. CPR is hard work and someone in good shape can only do high-quality CPR for two minutes. Resuscitations can go on for 30 to 60 minutes or longer.
Ventilation and Suction (1-2 firefighters): When the heart stops, breathing stops. The body needs oxygen to survive. A bag valve mask device requires two people for quality ventilations. Fluids can block the airway and require suction.
Defibrillation (1 firefighter): Before an electric shock can be delivered, clothing must be removed, patches applied and heart rhythm analyzed.
IV or Intravenous Access (1-2 firefighters): Paramedics work quickly to establish access to deliver lifesaving fluids and medications to help the heart. Starting an IV when the heart is not beating is challenging.
Medications (1 firefighter): Life-saving medications must be chosen and the dose correctly calculated before administration. In a hospital, a pharmacist would assist with this critical task.
Family and Medical History: (1 firefighter): The patient is not the only one in need of care. Often, family members are distraught and asking questions. Key information including medical history and prescriptions must also be obtained.
Stretcher and Equipment: (1-2 firefighters): Firefighters must bring equipment to the patient throughout the event, including backboard, stretcher, oxygen bottles and other specialized tools.
Fewer firefighters may be dispatched to a heart attack, which can lead to cardiac arrest (where the heart actually stops). In a cardiac arrest, bystander CPR during the critical minutes before firefighters arrive can double or triple a patient’s chance of survival.
“Starting CPR and calling 911 could literally be the difference between life and death for someone experiencing cardiac arrest,” Maxwell said. “Nearly everyone can learn hands-only CPR.”
The American Heart Association has a short video teaching hands-only CPR online www.Heart.org/HandsOnlyCPR.
South County Fire also offers a free, one-hour ACT to Save a Life Class that includes hands-only CPR, AED use, tourniquet application and how to administer Narcan for overdoses. Sign up at www.southsnofire.org/ACT.
SOURCE: South County Fire
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff
