LOUISVILLE, Ky. — There are critical moments following cardiac arrest that can define a person's life. According to the Louisville Fire Department, knowing hands-only CPR can be a life saving technique that anyone can do.
Using new electronic training mannequins, all 21 LFD stations are offering new, free hands-only CPR training.
LFD Captain Tamara Stewart was able to give hands-on training on what to do if you come across someone who needs help.
First, she said to go up to the person and ask if they can hear you, or if they're okay. If there is no response, make sure to position yourself so you can properly do the chest compressions.
"I want to be perpendicular to the patient, so I don't want to be straddling the patient, I don't want to be at the top of the head, I want to be on either side," Stewart added.
After those two steps, you'll need to correctly position your hands for the compressions.
"Find the nipple line," she said. "Take the heel of your palm and then place it on the sternum."
Finally, deliver the compressions.
"My arms are locked out, my shoulders are over the top of my hands, over the chest, and I'm hinging in order to get the proper depth," she explained.
Stewart said 100-120 beats per minute is the rate of compressions you are looking for.
"So, if you think of the song 'Stayin Alive' by the Bee Gees, or 'I Wanna Dance with Somebody' by Whitney Houston, or 'Ice Ice Baby' by Vanilla Ice, all of those songs are the tempo or rate of the compressions," she said.
According to Stewart, 70% of people experience cardiac arrest in or near their own home. Meanwhile, 90% of people who experience it outside a hospital don't survive. That's why, Stewart said, hands-only CPR is important for everyone to know.
"Data shows that the compressions, are more important than the breath, so what you're doing is pumping that heart for the person, whose heart is not doing it on its own anymore," she said.
To schedule a demonstration for groups of 10 or more, contact the Louisville Fire Department CPR Center at 502-574-4277.
Residents are encouraged to stop by any fire station in the Louisville urban service district between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. to get hands-on practice in this life-saving skill.
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