'Hands-Only' CPR Taught at SRVHS Game

If you saw a tent dedicated to teaching 'hands-only' CPR at the San Ramon Valley High football games this week, it was in honor of the National Sudden Cardiac Arrest Month.

[Related article: Free CPR Classes During San Ramon Valley High School…]

The HeartSafe Committee taught hands-only CPR and the proper use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) during half-time of the junior varsity game through half-time of the varsity game inside the San Ramon Valley High School Stadium. 

The CPR tent was set up near the field, so all fans had the opportunity to learn how to save a life.   

“CPR is something everyone should learn, like riding a bike or learning to swim,” said Joe Farrell, San Ramon Valley HeartSafe Committee member and sudden cardiac arrest survivor. 

“I was fortunate to have been in the right place at the right time to save someone using CPR and then just a year later to have someone else use their knowledge of CPR to save me.”

The San Ramon Valley may be one of the safest places to experience a cardiac emergency in the United States. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), sudden cardiac arrest, heart attack, stroke and other heart diseases are the leading cause of death in the United States. Recent data has shown that patients who experience sudden cardiac arrest are far more likely to survive if that episode occurs in the San Ramon Valley.

Nationally, if you experience a sudden cardiac arrest outside a hospital setting, your chances of surviving hovers around 8.5 percent. [i] Here in the San Ramon Valley your chance of survival is two times higher at 17.9 percent. Valley residents have an even greater occurrence of survival if someone witnesses their cardiac emergency and their heart is able to be shocked by an AED (Automated External Defibrillator), in this scenario the likelihood of survival increases to 46.9 percent versus 26.3 percent nationwide. [ii]

“We are very proud of our cardiac arrest survival statistics,” said San Ramon Valley Fire Chief Paige Meyer. “We attribute our success to many factors including our community outreach program that teaches hands-only CPR to over 2000 residents each year at community event, like the football game this Friday.”

Over 300,000 Americans fall victim to sudden cardiac arrest each year, learning CPR and how to use an AED can quite possibly mean the difference between life and death.

“With the ‘Hands-Only’ CPR method, learning CPR is a ‘snap’,” said Captain Andy Swartzell, Emergency Medical Services Coordinator for the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District.  “Both the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association teaches, if you see an adult collapse, simply call 9-1-1 and then push hard and fast in the center of the patient’s chest until help arrives and takes over for you.”

If you are planning to attend the game this Friday, San Ramon Valley Fire and the HeartSafe Committee encourage you not to “fumble” your opportunity to learn these lifesaving skills. 

About the HeartSafe Committee:

The HeartSafe Committee is made up of representatives from the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District, the City of San Ramon, the Town of Danville, the San Ramon Valley Unified School District, Contra Costa County Emergency Medical Services and many committed community members. The mission of the group is to insure that all elements of the Chain of Survival are in place throughout the San Ramon Valley, to encourage resident to learn CPR and for local businesses and community building to provide public access AEDs. For more information, visit the HeartSafe page at www.firedepartment.org /heartsafe

The San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District is an internationally-accredited special district that provides all-risk fire, rescue and emergency medical services to the communities of Alamo, Blackhawk, the Town of Danville, Diablo, the City of San Ramon, the southern area of Morgan Territory and the Tassajara Valley, in Northern California (Contra Costa County). The District’s service area encompasses approximately 155 square miles and serves a population of 170,000.