Eureka Times Standard
EUREKA, Calif. — The efforts of two citizens helped crew members with the Eureka Fire Department save a life on Friday.
A single engine responded to the Bayshore Mall shortly after 8 a.m. to a report of a man collapsed on the ground unconscious, according to a press release. Upon arriving at the scene, firefighters found two people performing CPR on the man and continued CPR with an automatic external defibrillator before an ambulance arrived.
The patient’s pulse was restored on scene, according to the release, and on his way to the hospital he was breathing on his own and showed an increased level of consciousness.
Studies from the American Heart Association have shown that survival rates for cardiac arrest patients can triple when bystander CPR is performed immediately, according to the release.
Of the some 300,000 cases of cardiac arrest, however, fewer than one-third involve bystander CPR, according to the study.
EFD offers CPR classes on the fourth Tuesday evening of every month, as well as an all-day first aid class on the second Saturday of every month. Other CPR classes are offered by local fire departments, along with training from the American Red Cross.
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