• Call 911 and if not trained in CPR provide Hands-Only CPR, or CPR without breaths, pushing hard and fast in the center of the chest to the rate of 100-120 compressions per minute.

• If are trained in CPR then perform breaths, add breaths in a 30:2 compressions-to-breaths ratio.

• When calling  911, place the phone on speaker, so the dispatcher can help you check for breathing, get the precise location and provide instructions for performing CPR.

• Dispatchers should be trained to help bystanders check for breathing and recognize cardiac arrest. Dispatchers should also be aware that brief generalized seizures may be an early sign of cardiac arrest.

Source heart.org

About 92 percent of sudden cardiac arrest victims die before reaching the hospital, but statistics prove that if more people knew CPR, more lives could be saved. Immediate CPR can double, or even triple, a victim’s chance of survival. The use of CPR dates all the way back to 1740, yet even today, most Americans don’t know how to perform it. Given properly and immediately to sudden cardiac arrest victims, CPR can save lives.  Check out local resources and learn CPR.  Some communities host a quarterly CPR party sponsored by area hospitals. 

Each volunteer responder is certified in basic CPR and participates in frequent CPR refreshers as part of RCVFD's emergency response program.