Valley volunteers set to learn CPR, become first responders
Feb 4, 2014, 5:00 AM | Updated: 5:00 am
A Valley resident just may save your life.
This year, the City of Phoenix plans to train 3,000 Valley volunteers to act as first responders in cardiac arrest emergencies.
Mayor Greg Stanton said that if there are citizens with the right training, lives can be saved.
“We know that if we have not only the equipment in very public places but many citizens with the right training, we can, in fact, save lives,” he said.
The City of Phoenix is one of five cities to receive 500 CPR Anytime Kits (or Hands-Only CPR training kits) to hopefully “turn Valley residents into lifesavers.”
“Look at what’s happened at Sky Harbor Airport,” Stanton said. “By having the lifesaving defibrillators as accessible as possible, as easy to use as possible, we’ve saved multiple lives, as a result of that.”
Phoenix was chosen by the American Heart Association and Cities of Service to receive the grant. Ultimately, the plan is to teach 3,000 Phoenix residents CPR this year.
The first set of volunteers will be trained by professionals, with the hope that those volunteers will then teach CPR to at least five other Valley residents.
The city will target residents, employees, faith-based leaders and scout leaders for the training.
