Do you know CPR? Wake County EMS using app to build network of citizen responders

Wake County EMS has reported a dramatic increase in demand for its free CPR training classes ever since Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s on-field cardiac arrest during a primetime game in January.

Nearly 650 people have signed up for the two-hour, hands-only training. The next availability is March 15.

The high interest from the public comes as Wake EMS is working to build a network of citizen responders — using the PulsePoint app — who can perform lifesaving CPR on patients before paramedics arrive on scene.

Wake EMS has saved more than 300 lives in the last 3 years. Of the 113 survivors in 2021, just 54% of survivors received CPR from a bystander.

“[If] you are within a quarter-mile of a cardiac arrest, it will beep your phone like a weather alert,” said Brian Brooks, assistant chief for community outreach.

Brooks said Wake EMS responds to cardiac arrest calls in about 8 minutes; however, a patient can suffer irreversible brain damage after the 6-minute mark.

He added that most people who witness a cardiac arrest do not know how to perform CPR or know how to use an AED.

“As much as I hate to stand here and say it, we are not going to be at your house in time to save somebody’s life,” Brooks said. “The more people we can get to do CPR and be willing to intervene the safer our community is going to be.”

Inside the Wake EMS Emergency Services Education Center, 221 S. Rogers Lane, Brooks teaches citizens about local and national statistics surrounding cardiac arrests, shows various informational videos from the American Heart Association and walks people through hands-on training.

If someone is experiencing a cardiac arrest, he teaches trainees to call 911, make sure the area is safe, perform chest compressions at a rate of 100-120 per minute and utilize an AED to analyze a person’s heart rhythm until professional help arrives.

Brooks has trained his 10-year-old daughter, Bree, in CPR and encourages parents to bring their kids to learn.

“This is someone’s life you are trying to save and it’s better for you to do the compressions and give them a better chance at saving them instead of just sitting there and not going anything,” said Bree Brooks, as she demonstrated how to give consistent compressions.”

Wake EMS also offers private training to schools, churches and other organizations.