High demand for CPR courses after NFL player goes into cardiac arrest

The dramatic situation this week where Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest during a game has renewed awareness of the importance of knowing what to do in an emergency, and how CPR and a defibrillator can save a life.

Learning how to save a life can take as little as one day.  James Barnard is at St. John Ambulance in Ottawa, as a student, receiving first aid training.

"So you know what you can and can't do, and to treat any sort of incident that might happen in a scenario," says Barnard, a rescue diver who has used this training before. "It wasn't a good experience. The person survived; almost drowned but hadn't quite lost consciousness."

Shane Kramer, learning manager with St. John Ambulance, says the one and two-day courses are in high demand. 

"You have so many situations in our lives, our personal lives or work lives where we could be called upon at any time to help," Kramer says. "The two-day course is very comprehensive and it involves dealing with common injuries which could be found in the home and workplace, and a large component of both is CPR and AED training ... which can greatly extend the chance of someone being able to survive a cardiac emergency."

Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a method of using chest compressions against the heart to help circulate blood through the body. 

An automated external defibrillator (AED) is an electronic device, and it can be a critical and life-saving component as well. 

"In certain cases of cardiac arrest caused by an impact to the chest or a coronary event, the heart will start to shiver. It will not be able to pump blood through the body, and what the defibrillator will do is it will restart the heart," says Marc-Antoine Deschamps with the Ottawa Paramedic Service. "These things can save a life and you don't require any training."

The AED is equipped with all the necessary items, including scissors to cut away clothing. Once the adhesive chest pads are attached to the body, the unit will guide users through the necessary steps. 

"In the city of Ottawa, there are more than 1,300 defibrillators that are available to the public. You'll find them in arenas, community centres, libraries, and most city buildings. They are also on city vehicles like fire trucks and in police cruisers," he says, adding that many private businesses, like office buildings and grocery stores, also have AEDs.

Deschamps says it is vital to have all AED locations registered with the city.

"Our ambulance communication officers will then be able to direct people to the closest defibrillator that's registered in our system and they'll be able to coach the caller on how to do CPR."

Knowing what to do can be the most powerful tool, and Kramer says the short answer is that everyone should have some training. 

"That's the great gift of being first aid trained is that you are there to help and to lend a hand to the best of your abilities when somebody else is in crisis."