Nov 20, 2007 7:00 pm US/Central
CPR And AEDs In The Minneapolis Skyway
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ―
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In the past couple years, Minneapolis Project Heartbeat has put several hundred AEDs in schools, doctors' offices and churches.
CBS
Hoping to save lives, there's a continued push to get more people to learn CPR and put defibrillators in public places.
Minneapolis firefighter, Isabel Moreno, wants to see just as many defibrillators as fire extinguishers in buildings. She's used to carrying hoses and heavy equipment to save lives.
Now, she's pushing for something much smaller, much lighter but just as important, she says. It's an Automated External Defibrillator or AED for short.
"Seeing defibrillators being placed out there and actually used prior to my arrival. What more can you say than saying you've seen somebody's life saved because of a power heart? I've seen it work," she said.
Moreno's part of Minneapolis Project Heartbeat, which in the past couple years, has put several hundred AEDs in schools, doctors' offices and churches. Training people how to use them and how to do basic CPR is just as important.
On Tuesday afternoon, during the lunch hour, Minneapolis Firefighters and staff from the Hennepin County Medical Center started training a handful of the thousands of people who walk through the downtown Skyways.
"This is a high density area, so the potential for a medical emergency is huge," said Robert Snyder, a Paramedic Educator at HCMC. He usually trains paramedics but now he's teaching life-saving skills to everyday people who live and work downtown.
Some downtown buildings already have AEDs. Experts say someone having a cardiac arrest needs an electrical shock immediately. If they get it within the first minute, they have a 90 percent chance of surviving.
The Interstate 35W bridge collapse put the issue into perspective. Firefighters and paramedics were absorbed in this immense emergency and could not respond to other medical calls. It only helps, they say, when people know how to save others.
"In case your 911 response is 10 minutes out, you're giving that person a chance," said Moreno.
She'll continue to push her message: Being prepared with an AED.
"I want to see lives saved," she said.
If you'd like to take the CPR in the Skyways class, click
here. There will be five next year and they are free.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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