December 3, 2008
When seconds count, will you know what to do? This is the question BC Ambulance Service (BCAS) asked the public this November as part of CPR Month.
"It's estimated that only 15 per cent of British Columbians know CPR," said Dr. Karen Wanger, BCAS Regional Medical Director of the Lower Mainland Region. "Even with the best technology, medical expertise and timely deployment of first responders, the best chance for someone in cardiac arrest is still to have a bystander perform CPR until paramedics can provide professional CPR and defibrillation."
BCAS is committed to ensuring that British Columbians are well versed in this life-saving skill and is currently undertaking a number of initiatives to educate citizens about the importance of learning and using CPR.
Since January 2008, over 50 members of the public have been presented with BCAS Vital Link Awards, in recognition of their role in saving a life through bystander CPR. Designed to acknowledge British Columbians that have performed the first and most vital link in the chain of survival, the award program is also an opportunity to reinforce the benefits bystander CPR can have on patient outcomes.
Work also continues on promoting the High School CPR program, an initiative aimed at establishing CPR training in every secondary school in BC by 2010. Made possible through a unique partnership between BCAS, the Advanced Coronary Treatment (ACT) Foundation and CUPE Union 873, the program will leave a lasting legacy in BC schools, ensuring that Grade 9 and 10 students continue to benefit from instruction in this life-saving skill.
