Orange County hosts CPR training for local students

Orange County’s Office of Emergency Services and Youth Bureau recently hosted 31 students from throughout the county for free cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) training at the Emergency Services Center.

“I encourage Orange County residents of all ages to become CPR trained,” said Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus in a press release. “In a cardiac situation, this training can vastly improve a person’s chances of survival. Having more residents trained can help save lives and a quick medical response can mean the difference between life and death. I thank those who participated for taking the time to learn how to potentially save a life.”

CPR is a life-saving procedure that is considered critical first aid for people who are having cardiac arrest or shortness of breath. A cardiac arrest can cause brain damage within minutes. Every year, more than 350,000 instances of cardiac arrest occur outside U.S. hospitals, according to the American Heart Association. According to the latest statistics released by the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation, only 10% of these people survive.

The instructors also taught students how to recognize the onset of stroke, control bleeding, and administer naloxone (when an opioid overdose is suspected) and epinephrine (for an individual suffering an extreme allergic reaction).

This training was co-hosted by Orange County Emergency Services and the Orange County Youth Bureau.

For more information about CPR training, contact Frank Cassanite at 845-615-0467 or fcassanite@orangecountygov.com.