Free Simple CPR and AED awareness sessions in North Sydney

In January we published a news item about the program being run by North Sydney Council together with The Heart Foundation. A few members of the Hub attended one of the sessions - here is a report from Dorothy:

"It was an excellent course for beginner & experienced first aiders, run by the Heart Foundation, with a good demo of both CPR & using the AED.

Key points: 

• 80% of cardiac arrests occur at home.
• Using an AED  (defibrillator) within the 1st 3-5 minutes increases survival chance from 10% with CPR alone to about 70%.
• People doing Good Samaritan acts such as resuscitation are protected by law throughout Australia.
• Women are less likely to be resuscitated in public than men, due to concerns about modesty (which can be easily protected with a garment placed over the AED pads)
• For the general public CPR is now just chest compression, not breathing into the person’s mouth. For all ages compression is to 1/3 of the depth of the chest, & for 100-120 beats/min. If the AED unit is > 30 secs away & the 1st Aider is by themselves, they should continue CPR until help arrives.
• Compression can’t be achieved if the patient is in bed as this is too soft. They need to be dragged onto the floor.
• After the First Aider contacts 000, they should keep the phone on speaker. The telephonist can send the location of the nearest registered AED, & continue giving support until the ambos arrive.
• There is an AED at Wollstonecraft Station but not currently at Waverton Station.
• An AED comes with a kit containing things to enable the pads to stick to the chest, including a towel & a razor, gloves & scissors to cut away clothing. It is not possible to harm the patient with this." 

 

If you would like to do the course it is a free simple CPR and AED awareness session at North Sydney’s Fred Hutley Hall.
Partnering with the Heart Foundation, North Sydney Council is offering these 90-minute workshops to teach you how to recognize cardiac arrest and use an AED confidently.

Registration is essential to secure your spot.

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Upcoming Session Dates

• Tue 24 Mar: 5.30pm – 7pm

• Wed 25 Mar: 9.30am – 11am

• Wed 22 Apr: 9.30am – 11am

Click here to find out more and register.

Website: North Sydney Council and the Heart Foundation CPR and AED awareness sessions