Lifesaving Training Comes to Dane County Fair
July 14, 2009
Joshua Wescott, Office of the County Executive (608) 267-8823 or cell (608) 669-5606
County Executive
Fairgoers Offered CCR; Latest Effort of County Led Initiative to Expand Public Education
In addition to walking through barns of animals, riding the rides, and seeing countless creative exhibits, fairgoers at this week’s Dane County Fair can also learn how to safe a life.
Dane County Emergency Management staff, as part of an ongoing effort to educate the public on CCR, will be set up in front of the Exhibition Hall of the Alliant Energy Center to train those interested in learning the new lifesaving technique. The training will be offered Wednesday and Thursday from 11:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.
CCR is different from CPR in that people are trained to just do chest compressions on heart attack victims until EMTs arrive. In addition to being more effective because it keeps blood circulating through the body, it’s also easier to learn. CCR training takes between 10-15 minutes.
“The science shows the sooner these compressions start, the greater the odds of survival,” County Executive Kathleen Falk said. “That’s why we want as many people as possible to learn this easy lifesaving skill so they can quickly help a family member, friend, or neighbor should the need arise.”
Dane County EMS offered CCR training at two recent Downtown Farmers Markets and nearly 600 people were trained. Additional training will be offered at the Farmers Markets with the assistance of the American Red Cross and American Heart Association on July 18th and July 25th from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.
Since implementing CCR into the county’s medical protocols, the survival rate among patients who have witnessed heart attacks in Dane County has doubled.
Dane County is among only a handful of places in the entire country where cardio-cerebral resuscitation (CCR) is being performed on patients who suffer cardiac arrest. From the time a heart attack is first reported to the county’s 911 Center, dispatchers provide directions over the phone on how to perform CCR. Once responders arrive, they expand upon those efforts and provide medications in addition to the chest compressions.