NORFOLK, VA – As Heart Month comes to a close, Norfolk Fire-Rescue (NFR) urges residents to learn hands-only CPR. On Friday, February 28, NFR will provide a pop up training during lunch (Noon to 1 P.M.) at Waterside District. Within a 10-20 minute instruction period, citizens will walk away with the basics needed to help save a life during a cardiac event.
Sudden cardiac arrest is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths. For every minute that passes before help arrives, cardiac arrest survival decreases by 7 – 10%. Early CPR and rapid defibrillation before an emergency team arrives can boost survival by 50%.
Additionally, participants will learn about the PulsePoint app that NFR launched on June 1, 2018. The app empowers CPR-trained citizens and off-duty professionals to improve patient outcomes and save lives during cardiac emergencies. Since its launch, over 5000 residents have downloaded the app – a milestone the department reached in January.
The PulsePoint app also includes the registration of AEDs throughout the city. By registering these devices within PulsePoint, emergency responders, including nearby citizens trained in CPR, can easily locate an AED nearby when a cardiac emergency occurs. To date, 331 AEDs in Norfolk are registered in PulsePoint.