And God do I ever LOVE a challenge. So from me to you…
This is more important than some story about some run. No matter how spectacular that run was.
This is about not sitting back. This is about not being a wallflower.
This is about doing something.
My people over at Chronicles of EMS have issued a challenge and it’s a must read. And it’s simple stuff. For my EMS people in particular.
So many of us have sat through CPR classes, over and over. We know it backwards and forwards. Some of my medic school compatriots would go a step further and roll their eyes as we’ve just recently gone through ACLS and have had it driven so deeply into our already overstuffed (and slightly fragile) brains. That being said, we know it. We KNOW it. But do they? Does your Mother? Your next door neighbor? Your Babysitter?
So here’s the challenge. Hit the streets, as Happy Medic has said. Find five people. I don’t care who they are. Find five people and TELL THEM HOW THEY CAN LEARN CPR.
Simple enough, yeah? This is not rocket science. Yet it’s so important. What if the victim was you or one of yours?
Let’s not just be passive. Let’s not just talk about making a change. Let’s do something that provokes that change.
Where you can find a CPR class in NW Ohio
Where you can find a CPR class anywhere else
Do more than just talk. Print out some numbers. Do something that makes a difference.
And you know, if you tell me how this process went, or post at the Chronicles of EMS site about it, that’s fantastic. If all you do is talk to someone about CPR and how important it is to know it, I’m FINE with that. Just do something. Don’t just sit back and hope that someone knows what they’re doing if God forbid that time comes.
This is for you.
I’m in. I’m all in. My challenge to you is, are you?
An excellent proposition. I’m definitely game.
This weeks CoEMS Challenge will happen each week, how can we change the world of EMS little bits at a time?
Good idea. I’m already a CPR instructor. And as an aside, in King County Washington, if you suffer sudden cardiac arrest, there is a 65% chance you will receive CITIZEN CPR! Sixty freakin’ five! That’s amazing.
That’s why they still say “Seattle is the best place to have a heart attack.” Now, is it the best place to receive prehospital ALS care? Wellll…
We’re ahead of you guys! I am a CPR instructor and just helped teach a class today. Our student group RSU EMSSA has sponsored two events now- one was a city wide CPR event with all the extras-candy, Lifeflight and ambulances and fire there and just today we did a CPR class for the faculty and staff at RSU- We have a Facebook page etc etc. We are slowly (ugh) getting the word out that we are available to teach CPR and hope to really get it going as the spring goes on!
Cool! Game on! I’ll drop a note next week with where I’m at.
And for the record…I’m not going to do this through work…I’ll do it at school, scouts, or someplace like that.
Though, now that I think about it, I may see if our department’s webmeister may put this up on the public page (or even the hospital’s site).
Right on Epi, right on. See you in Baltimore.
Some folks may have a hard time finding an AHA class in their area. Don’t forget, the American Red Cross also offers CPR/First Aid/AED (automated external defibrillator/’heart zapper’) training. You can find your closest Red Cross chapter at http://www.RedCross.org and plugging your zip code into the box.
Full disclosure: I’ve been a Red Cross instructor for 20 years. Did the cross-over to AHA instructor, got a non-functional password to the AHA instructor site, could never get them to answer the phones/emails, said “scroot” to AHA.