Raise the Hammer

What: CPR/AED Training by Hamilton Emergency Services-EMS Date: Monday, March 8, 2010 Time: 6:30 to 8:30 pm Location: Melrose United Church, 86 Homewood Ave. at Locke, Hamilton

As a result of the overwhelming demand for this CPR/AED training session in Ward 1, Hamilton Emergency Services has kindly offered to do a second training session on March 8, 2010 at 6:30 p.m.

The people on the waiting list have been contacted and there are currently an additional 20 spots available.

If you are interested in attending, RSVP by MARCH 4, 2010 to Nikola at nikola.wojewoda-patti@hamilton.ca or 905-546-4528. Please include your name, address, phone number and email address and the number of people in your family.

CPR can be a vital link in saving the life of a loved one in cardiac arrest and anyone can learn it. In addition to becoming familiar with CPR, participants will also learn how to use Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs). These defibrillators are the ones that you will have seen in many public buildings as part of the Public Access Defibrillator (PAD) program and they may also be a life-saver if used on someone in cardiac arrest.

According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, 40,000 people in Canada experience cardiac arrest each year, the majority of which occur either at home or in public places. For every minute that passes without help, a person’s chance of surviving a cardiac arrest drops by seven to 10%. Learning CPR is easy and inexpensive and it could mean saving the life of a friend or family member. When CPR is combined with the prompt use of an AED (Automated External Defibrillator), the chance for survival can go up to 50% or more.

“The Heart and Stroke Foundation urges all Canadians to learn CPR. The more people trained, the greater the chance of keeping those that have suffered cardiac arrest alive until an ambulance arrives,” says Sue Turner, Community Mission Specialist, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario. “You don’t need to be a doctor to save a life.”