CPR & First Aid Facts

Cardiovascular disease continues to be the number one cause of death in the United States. The Center for Disease Control attributes 831,000 deaths each year to cardiovascular disease. CDC further estimates that 456,000 heart-related deaths occur each year before the victim reaches the hospital. If a person experiencing sudden cardiac arrest receives a shock from a defibrillator and CPR within the first four minutes, there is a 62 percent chance of full recovery.

In major metropolitan areas of our country, the average response time for an EMT/Paramedic to arrive at the scene of a person in distress is 10 minutes from the time a call is received. When medical emergencies occur on the water, however, entry into the Emergency Medical System takes significantly longer than it does on land. Due to the delay in getting help, boaters have a greater need to recognize the signs and symptoms of a person in distress and know the proper procedures to save the lives of crew or guests aboard their vessels. In the Chesapeake Bay, the Baltimore Sector of the U.S. Coast Guard estimates the average response time for help to arrive at the scene of a medical emergency, remove the victim(s) from the vessel, and deliver them to the EMS, is 1.75 hours and may be as long as 2.75 hours.

The U.S. Coast Guard recognizes the value of a quick, appropriate response to a medical emergency and recommends that every boater

• be trained in CPR and first aid,
• have an Automated External Defibrillator on board, and
• have a first aid kit appropriate to the anticipated time for entry into the EMS.

CPR & First Aid training is being made available to USPS members on 16 Jan. at our Annual Meeting in Jacksonville, Fla.

More information and registration forms are available at http://www.usps.org/national/safety/cpr-1staid+.html or by contacting me, CPR & First Aid National Chairman, Alan Karpas, at USPS.CPR1stAid@gmail.com or 301-767-5905.