Blog: City Blog

Life-Saving Skills: City Offers 1-Hour CPR, 'Stop the Bleed' Training

Last month, the City of Knoxville offered two free Hands-Only CPR and Stop the Bleed workshops for residents - an outreach to expand community safety and emergency preparedness.

The workshops were led by certified trainers from the Knoxville Fire Department and are a collaboration between the City’s Office of Community Safety, Knoxville Fire Department, and the Office of Neighborhood Empowerment.

In February, the City offered two community CPR and Stop the Bleed instructional workshops.

In February, the City offered two community CPR and Stop the Bleed instructional workshops.

Dozens of people participated in the first classes, which was great, organizers say. But big things have small beginnings: It is expected that the number of participants in the CPR and Stop the Bleed workshops will eventually surpass the certified AHA CPR class numbers, which exceeded 2,600 students (and 10,000 training hours) in 2022.

The classes held last month were a newly-sparked initiative that is intended to bring the Knoxville community together and empower residents to be more knowledgeable and ready to step in should they encounter an emergency. CPR performed minutes - even seconds - before first responders might arrive can be critical.

What is special about these non-certificate classes is that they are free, fast and easily accessible. The certified classes, in comparison, are longer and more in-depth, designed for folks who are required to be certified for work purposes.

The Hands-Only CPR takes about an hour to learn and practice, which makes it all the more convenient!

If groups would like for the Hands-Only CPR and Stop the Bleed workshop team to come to them, that can also be arranged. Examples of these might be neighborhood groups, civic groups, sororities and fraternities, churches, and businesses in the City of Knoxville. Groups can register through Office of Neighborhood Empowerment Director Debbie Sharp - just email her at [email protected].

Deputy Fire Chief Gary Compton can attest to the importance of a bystander being able to perform CPR if need be.

In late February, Fire Department first responders arrived at the scene of a cardiac arrest and found a bystander performing "excellent hands-only CPR." The firefighters took over, and after several emergency procedures, the patient's pulse resumed and stabilized.

The bystander stepping in immediately was credited with saving the victim's life.

Studies have shown that the most important time when someone’s heart stops is the first one to two minutes, and sometimes, that's before the trained professionals can get there. Having someone available who can start the Hands-Only CPR will greatly increase the survivability of the person needing help.

“Our goal is simply to train as many people as possible in basic skills such as Hands-Only CPR and Stop the Bleed," Compton says. "These easy-to-learn skills can truly make a difference in the outcome of a sick or injured person, and the training only requires about an hour of a person’s time."

-Written by University of Tennessee Baker Center Fellow Lillian Marcum, who is interning this semester in the City's Communications Department

Posted by evreeland On 31 March, 2023 at 1:26 PM