The ambulance service wants more Queenslanders to learn CPR. On Restart a Heart Day, paramedics gave free lessons on how to save lives.

Jessica McGrath reports.

TRANSCRIPT

It’s a leading cause of death.

Sixty-three Australians suffer from cardiac arrest every day, but only one in ten survive.

With seventy-six per cent of cardiac arrests, outside of hospitals, occurring at home, the Ambulance Service is urging as many people as possible to learn first aid.

Melissa Lindeman, Queensland Ambulance Service Media Officer: “Restart a Heart Day is really promoting the difference that you can make on saving someone’s life – it’s as easy as CPR, calling triple zero and using an AED.”

The Heart Foundation says most people would call an ambulance in an accident, but 40 per cent say they would not perform CPR.

Vox 1: “It was a motorcycle accident, unfortunately the rider was deceased, and we tried to bring him back to life, but his injuries were too bad.”

Vox 2: “Especially with pools, and swimming and things like that, we need to know how to save lives, it’s an important aspect of our culture here in Australia and there’s not enough people learning it.”

Within the first 30 seconds, a bystander should check for danger, the patient’s response and start CPR at 100 beats per minute.

Norm Veal, Senior Paramedic Officer: “The survival rate is improved dramatically if CPR is commenced very quickly and it’s a simple process to learn.”

Experts say early intervention with Automatic External Defibrilators, as well as CPR, will save lives.

Located at your local businesses AEDs are crucial to saving lives.

The electric shocks they administer help your heart to restart and beat back into a regular rhythm.

First aid courses can be found through the Queensland Ambulance Services website.

Jessica McGrath, QUT News.