The Irish Heart Foundation is offering free CPR training to members of the public in Clare. The training is part of a new free community CPR training programme, Hands for Life, run by the Irish Heart Foundation and supported by Abbott and ESB Networks.
With Hands for Life, the Irish Heart Foundation will offer free CPR training to 100,000 people in local communities throughout Ireland over the next two years. Locals in Clare can now sign up for the following training courses by visiting www.HandsForLife.ie:
*Cois na hAbhna, Galway Road, Dulick, Ennis, Co. Clare – Wednesday 26th June at 11am, 12.30pm and 2.30pm
*Derg Active Alliance & Community Centre, Fossabeg, Scariff, Co. Clare – Saturday 29th June at 10am, 11.30am and 1pm
*Tubber Hall, Templebannagh, Tubber, Co. Clare – Monday 8th July at 5pm, 6.30pm and 8pm
Hands for Life training courses are free and open to all adults aged 18 and over. Communities, groups and clubs who have 30 or more people interested in a free Hands for Life training course can contact the Irish Heart Foundation directly on 01 668 5001 or handsforlife@irishheart.ie to arrange a training course in their locality.
The training course takes just under one hour to complete and attendees will learn:
How to recognise a cardiac arrest
How to perform compressions, including hands-on practice on a CPR training manikin
How to use an AED (Automated External Defibrillator)
How to respond to a choking emergency
How to recognise a stroke
Brigid Sinnott, Resuscitation Manager with the Irish Heart Foundation, said “Every day in Ireland 13 people die from a cardiac arrest. Around 70% of these happen at home in front of a loved one. If there is someone nearby who knows CPR and can start performing compressions quickly, you can double or even triple a person’s chances of survival.”
“At the Irish Heart Foundation, we are on a mission to save lives. We want to create a nation of lifesavers by training as many people as possible in the lifesaving skill of CPR. That’s why we’ve developed the Hands for Life programme and now thanks to the support of Abbott and ESB Networks, we will train 100,000 people in the next two years which will in turn improve people’s chances of surviving a cardiac arrest in Ireland.”
“We’re looking forward to bringing our free CPR training to Clare and hope that the people of Ennis, Scariff and Tubber join us on Wednesday 26th June, Saturday 29th June and Monday 8th July to learn this important life-saving skill.”
For more information and to sign up for a local training course in Clare, visit www.HandsForLife.ie.
ENDS
For further information / media enquiries, contact:
Ruth McCourt, Marketing and Communications Manager, Irish Heart Foundation: rmccourt@irishheart.ie / 087 345 3525
Notes to editors
CPR – The Four Steps for Survival
Step 1: If you see a person suddenly collapse, check for a response. Call their name and shake them gently on the shoulder.
Step 2: If there is no response call 112 or 999 immediately to get help on the way.
Step 3: If the person is still not responding and is not breathing normally, then make sure the person is lying flat on their back on the ground. Kneel close beside them and place your two hands on the centre of their chest in line with their nipples, one on top of the other, and keep your arms straight.
Step 4: Start compressions. Push hard and fast. Push down at least five centimetres or two inches and push at a rate of 100-120 beats per minute. The Bee Gees song ‘Stayin’ Alive’ is the perfect CPR rhythm. Keep going until the emergency services arrive.
CPR – Handy Tips
Tip 1: When you call the emergency services, put your phone on loudspeaker so that you can immediately start compressions while speaking to the emergency calltaker.
Tip 2: Know your Eircode. This will help the emergency services find you.
Tip 3: Always remember, you can do no harm by starting CPR. It is better to give CPR to someone who doesn’t need it than not to give it to someone who does. By starting CPR immediately, you can double or even triple a person’s chances of survival.