Saving lives

There are now hundreds of more chances that a life could be saved in the city after a CPR training course Saturday.

Around 250 people showed up to a free CPR training course at Hammarskjold Saturday morning. Heart and Stroke Foundation health promotion specialist Bill McBain said the CPR Makes you Undead event was an extension of a program that took place at Canada’s Wonderland Thursday where more than 5,000 people were trained at once.

“We thought we’d do everything we could to give regular people the confidence and the skills to jump in and help someone when they collapse, are not breathing or having cardiac arrest,” he said.

Ornge’s Percy Pilatzke, who was instructing the program, said a person with cardiac arrest is four times more likely to survive if CPR is started as quickly as possible. The more people in the community who are trained, the more likely some is going to have that life-saving help available.

Although some may think the procedure is difficult, they only have to remember three things. The first is to recognize that someone is going into cardiac arrest. Next, and most importantly, is to call 911. Then start compressions.

“Pushing hard pushing fast, as quick as they can,” Pilatzke said. “This is a skill that anyone can do form a very young age to a senior.”

Others may worry about liability or that they may make the situation worse. But Pilatzke said a person in cardiac arrest has no heart or lung function, which makes them biologically dead.

“You cannot hurt anybody more when they’re dead. Dead is dead,” he said. “You cannot become deader. The person needs your help. You shouldn’t be worried about doing harm or legalities.”

Both Pilatzke and McBain said they want to continue training as many people as possible to make Thunder Bay a North American leader in cardiac arrest saves.