Today, 16th October 2024, is Restart A Heart Day. This day is dedicated to raising awareness and to encouraging everyone to be ready for a medical emergency through learning cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) techniques and lifesaving skills.
Cardiac arrests can happen to anyone, at any age and at any time. Through raising awareness of cardiac arrest and lifesaving skills, you potentially could save a life whether it be at your workplace, when you are out and about or at home.
Many years ago, George Nicolson invested in an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) for our premises. A small sign was fitted to the exterior of the building to advise we have a defibrillator on the premises. We also arranged the relevant training through Lucky2bhere for as many of our office based employees as possible. Lucky2bHere are a Scottish based charity who make a difference to communities throughout Scotland. For more information on their objectives, what they do, training and more, please visit their website: https://www.lucky2bhere.org/.
Meaningful ways to get involved in Restart a Heart Day could include:
- Learning CPR through a certificated training provider.
- Practice AED use so you are familiar with how to use an AED in an emergency.
- Spread awareness by sharing with family, friends and social networks the importance of CPR training.
- Support First Aid Charities & Initiatives through donations.
- Downloading free apps to your phone such as Crowdsav which will find the nearest AED from your current location or What3Words where the emergency services can locate you when you don’t know your location.
The chances of surviving a cardiac arrest are massively increased if a defibrillator is used. For every minute without CPR and defibrillation, the chance of survival reduces by up to 10%. Have a look online to see which AEDs are available for your business. Furthermore, The British Heart Foundation will be providing free defibrillators to eligible community groups through their defibrillator funding programme which opens to applications in October 2024.
Should your organisation already have a defibrillator, please check whether it is registered with The Circuit, a national defibrillator network for emergency access. Registering your defibrillator on The Circuit allows members of your community to access it in time when somebody needs it and in turn giving them the best chance of survival.
#RestartAHeart
#CPRTraining
#AEDAwareness
