'Chain Of Survival’ Celebration For Life Savers Nov. 30

OREGON CITY, OR - From Clackamas Fire District #1:

Clackamas Fire District #1 will hold its fifth Chain of Survival Celebration and challenge coin presentation on Thursday, Nov. 30, at 10 a.m. in the Providence Willamette Falls Community Center at 519 15th St. in Oregon City.

Each year, approximately 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside a hospital setting in the United States. According to the American Heart Association, nearly 90 percent of these events prove fatal, and the chance of survival decreases by 10 percent with every passing minute without CPR.

When community members are willing and able to provide CPR, and Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) are readily available, the chances of a patient surviving a cardiac arrest event increases significantly.

Clackamas Fire's celebration recognizes those in the chain of survival who participated in saving the life of a cardiac arrest victim who was resuscitated and survived neurologically intact.

Clackamas Fire will honor seven cardiac arrest "saves" made up of numerous individuals involved in their chain of survival.

The chain of survival participants includes bystanders who performed CPR prior to emergency crew arrival, Clackamas County 9-1-1 dispatchers who encouraged and coached bystander CPR, and Clackamas Fire and American Medical Response crews involved in the resuscitations.

Each individual will be presented with a special challenge coin. The coin is only given to those individuals who participated in the resuscitation of a cardiac arrest victim who was successfully resuscitated in the field and survived neurologically intact.

"This coin, literally, represents bringing someone back to life," said EMS Division Chief Bill Conway.

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