Dispatchers' CPR Coaching Saves Lives When Every Minute Counts

Posted: May 25, 2012 at 2:25 pm


without comments

Courtesy of Medic One Foundation

Becky Cole was eight months pregnant with her son Ryan when she passed out. Her husband performed CPR for six minutes with the help of a dispatcher before medics arrived.

Your chances of surviving a sudden heart attack may depend on where you live; some American cities have survival rates five times higher than others. One difference can be 911 dispatchers.

If they coach someone over the phone to give CPR, the chance of surviving goes up. There's now a push to make it universal, but some cities are slow to implement the necessary training.

Becky Cole was eight months pregnant with her fourth child when she collapsed against the bathroom door. It was January 2011 in the Seattle suburb of Woodinville.

"I got up to go brush my teeth, and that's the last thing I remember," she says.

Her husband, Jon, heard the loud crash and called 911.

"She's fallen down, and she doesn't look like she's breathing. I need an emergency ambulance right now," he told the dispatcher.

What happened next is typical in many cities across the country, but it's not nearly as universal as you might expect. When Jon Cole explained that his wife was unconscious and appeared to not be breathing, the dispatcher instructed him on how to perform CPR.

He switched to speakerphone and the dispatcher led him through the process, step by step.

Read more:
Dispatchers' CPR Coaching Saves Lives When Every Minute Counts

Related Posts

Written by admin |

May 25th, 2012 at 2:25 pm

Posted in Life Coaching




matomo tracker