Matt Chavez, right, presents Caitlin Reilly, left, award honoring her for CPR.
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– Wendover Ambulance presented Caitlin Reilly with a plaque, honoring the local high school student for her quick thinking and aiding a stranger during a medical emergency. The award was presented during the final 2011 assembly at West Wendover High School.
“Many times, members of the public are hesitant to become involved in an emergency,” said Casey Snyder, General Manager at Wendover Ambulance. “But if ever there were a time to come to the aid of another, none could be more lifesaving than providing CPR during a cardiac arrest.”
Caitlin was at a local retail store earlier this year, when she witnessed someone collapse from sudden cardiac arrest. She began immediate CPR, and continued to provide it until the ambulance arrived and EMT’s took over.
The Arizona Dept. of Health Services operates a registry and education program that tracks CPR performance and effectiveness throughout Arizona. The program reports that for every 1 minute that CPR is delayed, the chance for survival decreases more than 10%.
“It’s important our community members recognize a cardiac emergency, and begin immediate CPR,” said Snyder. “There is no longer a need for a bystander to provide mouth-to-mouth breathing, when providing CPR on an adult. The AHA recognizes that compression-only, also known as hands-only, CPR is sufficient until ambulance personnel arrive and take over resuscitation efforts.”
Last month, Wendover Ambulance offered free community CPR classes during EMS week to raise awareness of compression-only CPR. This free training is available to any civic-based groups who would like to sponsor a CPR class for their organization’s members. For more information on community, workplace, or healthcare-provider CPR classes, as well as other community resources available during a cardiac emergency, contact Wendover Ambulance at (775) 664-2081.
