Dozens of people turned out on Sunday morning in Innisfil to learn a skill that could one day save a life.
Angela Galashan is one of 55 people who attended a free CPR course offered by Simcoe County paramedics and the Heart and Stroke foundation. Galashan enrolled with her entire family.
"We've had a couple heart attacks in our family and so to know that, we would all not be afraid but be knowledgeable in how to handle the situation and save a loved one or a stranger who's going through it," says Galashan .
Paramedics and the Heart and Stroke Foundation want people to understand how important CPR is to know.
"If somebody is doing CPR within the first moments of witnessing a cardiac arrest it can increase the chance of survival by 25 per cent,” says Kim Oxley, a spokesperson with County of Simcoe Paramedic Services. “If we add an AED or public access defibrillator in there, and if that's on in the first moments it can raise their chance of survival up to 75 per cent."
There are now more than 600 public defibrillators across Simcoe County. The equipment is easy to use, but education will increase the likelihood of someone using it.
"When you educate, then people are not afraid,” says Valerie Holland of the Heart and Stroke Foundation. “You can't do anybody any harm when someone is not breathing. So it's better to do something than nothing."
