General Information... 2nd Annual CPR Marathon set for February 27, 2013 by Talbot County Emergency Services (DES) on Friday, February 8, 2013

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 8, 2013 

“National Heart Month - The 2nd Annual CPR Marathon will provide free CPR Training”

In recognition of National Heart Month, Talbot County Emergency Services with the help of co-sponsors is conducting the 2nd Annual Talbot County CPR Marathon to provide the public with free CPR and AED training on February 27, 2013, at the Talbot County Community Center in Easton, Maryland.

The CPR classes will begin every hour; beginning at 9:00 am with the last class beginning at 7:00 pm. Classes are approximately one hour in length. Pre-registration is preferred by calling 410-820-8311.

This lifesaving program is being provided free of charge to the public through the support of the Talbot County Paramedic Foundation, the Talbot County Health Department, the Talbot County Chamber of Commerce, the Star Democrat, WCEI/WINX Radio, Shore Health Systems, and the Talbot County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association. This will be the 2nd annual CPR marathon... last year’s event was a success with over 250 people trained during the event.

Heart disease kills an estimated 630,000 Americans each year and is a leading cause of death for both men and women. A lethal complication that can develop while having a heart attack is Sudden Cardiac Arrest which claims nearly 300,000 lives each year. During a Sudden Cardiac Arrest, heart function ceases – abruptly and without warning. When this occurs, the heart is no longer able to pump blood to the rest of the body, and in some 95 percent of victims, death occurs.

Talbot County in an effort to reduce the number of deaths related to Sudden Cardiac Arrest continue to support “Operation Save-a-Heart” by training as many people as possible in Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and in the use of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs).

In 2001, Talbot County launched “Operation Save-a-Heart” in an effort to prepare the community to respond to Sudden Cardiac Arrests. It was through the efforts of the Talbot County Paramedic Foundation, Talbot Advanced Life Support, the Talbot County Council, and the businesses throughout the County that AED’s were strategically placed and CPR training provided.

Today there are over 170 AED’s located throughout the County. Talbot County Emergency Services in a cooperative effort provides support to these AED sites through CPR and AED training and an annual CPR Marathon. This places Talbot County in a better position to save lives.

Mr. Clay Stamp, the Director of Emergency Services for Talbot County explains; “It is critically important in the case of sudden cardiac arrest to access the 9-1-1 system immediately… every minute counts.” He further explains; “The bottom line is the data is clear, by having a community trained in CPR with access to AEDs the survival rate for Sudden Cardiac Arrest improves significantly, and it is our goal to train as many in our community as we can.”