Free Hands-Only CPR Training Offered During 3 Rivers Festival

Mayor Tom Henry in cooperation with the Three Rivers CPR Task Force will offer free hands-only CPR training as part of the Fort Wayne Newspapers Three Rivers Festival.

“Don’t Miss a Beat” training will be available to the public July 15 at the Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Community Center (233 W. Main St.). Classes start at 9 a.m., 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.

The one-hour class will train community members ages 12 and older how to give effective chest compressions – using manikins or special kits – to adults who have suffered a heart attack. The classes are taught by trained and experienced CPR instructors who volunteer their time for this program.

Compression or hands-only CPR focuses on chest compressions only, no breaths, to keep blood moving in an adult victim whose heart has stopped beating. It has become increasingly popular in recent years as research has shown it to be effective in helping to save lives.

Anyone completing the training July 15 will receive a “Bring a Friend for Free” coupon for those paying for a CPR certification class through the American Red Cross of Northeast Indiana.

The buy one, get one free certificate, a $50 value, can be used for the Red Cross’s adult, child, infant CPR training class through December 31, 2009. The certificate does not have to be used by the person who attends the July training.

During 2005 and 2006 Three Rivers Ambulance Authority (TRAA) responded to 452 cardiac arrest cases that happened outside a medical setting, according to numbers from the Emergency Medical Services Foundation here in Fort Wayne. Of those, only 17 percent of victims received bystander CPR. According to research, early bystander CPR is among the major components necessary for greatest survivability, along with early access to 911 emergency dispatch, first responders with AED capabilities in 4 minutes and advanced life support-capable ambulance in 8 minutes.

To register for the training or to find out more, visit 3RCPR.org, call 427-1164 or e-mail 3rcpr@cityoffortwayne.org. Space for each session is limited to 90 participants so pre-registration is encouraged. Walk-in registrations will be accepted as space allows.