By Luke Groskopf<\/p>\n
Journal Staff Writer<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an idyllic morning \u2014 sun\u2019s out, soft breeze and birds are chirping. A perfect morning to take the dog for a walk, so you do. But soon, something doesn\u2019t feel right. Your jaw hurts and you feel dizzy. The next minute you collapse to the sidewalk, debilitated by terrible chest pain. You\u2019re having a heart attack. You pass out, unconscious.<\/p>\n
If luck is with you, a doctor or paramedic is strolling past at that very moment. If not, the next best thing is a CPR-certified layperson. Your odds of such a person being near are increasing, thanks to a partnership between the city and the Cortez Fire Protection District.<\/p>\n
Chief Jeff Vandevoorde recently proposed certifying all Cortez city staff in cardiopulmonary resuscitation. City Manager Shane Hale was amenable to the idea, and the first batch of employees \u2014 about 20 of them \u2014 went through training yesterday.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a smart, common sense thing to do,\u201d Vandevoorde said. \u201cCity employees are out and about (interacting) with people \u2014 the garbage guys, road department, utility crews. They could save somebody.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vandevoorde looks to Seattle, for all its differences to Cortez, as a model. Seattle, and surrounding King County, have one of the highest cardiac arrest survival rates in the world, largely from a concerted effort to promote certification widely. More than 70 percent of Seattleites are trained in CPR, according to a 2011 report from the Medtronic Foundation HeartRescue Project.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe city is a big nut to crack right off the bat. Once we finish there, we\u2019ll offer the training to the county and others,\u201d Vandevoorde said. \u201cIt\u2019s something to shoot for.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that the revised CPR curriculum, which emphasizes chest compressions over mouth-to-mouth breaths, might make people less squeamish to help a person in need.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe concern about picking up a disease or bacteria (from mouth contact) is eliminated,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The training is voluntary; nobody is being compelled to do it. Hale said the city employs about 125 full-time and 80 part-time workers. Some, of course, are already certified.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s being offered and encouraged,\u201d Hale said. \u201cIf someone doesn\u2019t like blood or panics in a pressure situation, they won\u2019t do (the training) because they wouldn\u2019t be comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cOur staff comes into contact with lots of people each day. I\u2019d say the odds of a city employee rendering aid at some point are fairly high. If it takes five minutes for an emergency vehicle to show up, CPR can make a difference between life and death.\u201d<\/p>\n