Noozhawk.com
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — People walking in search of lunch at the Camino Real Marketplace in Goleta on Tuesday passed by about 10 plastic torsos laying on the ground, models of the human chest paramedics were using to teach the public about the importance of CPR in the first few minutes of a medical emergency.
During the lunch hour, there were lulls in the exercises, when people passed by more preoccupied with what to eat. But at most points, people were willing to jump in and practice compressions along with a teacher. By the end of the day, nearly 200 people were trained in Goleta, Buellton and Orcutt by Santa Barbara County Fire and American Medical Response paramedics.
Sudden cardiac arrest affects nearly 300,000 people across the country annually, and 300 people in Santa Barbara County each year.
Full story: Paramedics Give Passersby On-the-Spot Training in Hands-Only CPR