Danbury Hospital will sponsor Hands for Life Hands-Only CPR training at the annual Taste of Greater Danbury Festival on Sunday, Sept. 13. The free training will take place from noon to 6 on the Danbury Green, 235 Main Street.
In only 15 minutes, community members will be taught hands-only (compression) CPR and how to use an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) by certified trainers. No advanced registration is required.
According to a recent report released from the Institute of Medicine, cardiac arrests claim more than 500,000 lives a year in the U.S. and survival rates could be improved dramatically with more CPR training.
Statistics show:
• 75% of cardiac arrests happen at home.
• 75% to 85% of witnessed cardiac arrest will be witnessed by family or friends.
• 50% of patients who have a cardiac arrest will have no symptoms before their event.
• Chance of death increases 10% for each minute without CPR and defibrillation.
• Performing CPR immediately doubles the chance of survival.
• Locally, only 25% of patients get CPR by a bystander at the time of arrest.