Leon County's mass CPR training event prepares potential life savers

For just over a dozen years, Leon County has hosted a mass CPR training session to help more cardiac failure victims stay alive until professional help arrives. Saturday's session at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center attracted an impressive crowd of potential life-savers.

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Participants learned their quick response can literally be the difference between life and death.

"EMS showing up and giving the patient medication, getting them to the hospital, and the cath lab, all the things that need to be done, it all starts with good compression," stated one of the program presenters from the stage in the Civic Center's vast exhibition hall. Leon EMS Major Sally Davis was impressed with the session turnout.

"I think there's about 400 people here, which is very exciting because they want to come out to get this message and learn CPR."

When the annual sessions began in 2010, Davis said around 18% of local cardiac patients had some kind of amateur CPR before professional help arrived. That number is now about 50%.

"It's them!" Davis exclaimed, referring to all of those who have undergone the training over the past 13 years. "They're the ones who have to get out there and start CPR to have successful outcomes."