Up to 1,000 can know CPR -- by heart

YAKIMA, Wash. -- In one day, Pete Orgill wants to teach 1,000 people to save a life.

Then, he wants give each of them a mannequin to practice on.

Orgill, nurses, doctors and other CPR advocates are behind the CPR Blitz, a massive effort to teach the techniques used to save a heart attack victim's life Saturday at the Yakima Convention Center.

"They're going to walk away with all the information they need to save a life," said Orgill, longtime baseball coach and head of the health and fitness department at Davis High School.

Both of Yakima's hospitals, the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association are among the sponsors.

The plan is to teach an abridged version of CPR -- the combination of rescue breathing and chest compressions that help keep a heart attack victim alive long enough for emergency medical responders to arrive -- to interested citizens in four shifts, one each hour.

And if the learning how to save a life isn't enough, the backers plan to give to each family a free practice mannequin sometimes nicknamed "Resusci Anne."

The mannequins are part of an American Heart Association CPR Anytime kit, which also includes an instructional DVD and a booklet, both in English and Spanish.

The goal is to have each participant later use the mannequin to teach CPR to five other people.

Organizers want the training to help take the fear from CPR.

"It's really easy to pick up," Orgill said.

In fact, the heart association now recommends "Hands Only" CPR as a way for bystanders to help those who suddenly collapse from cardiac arrest. The technique uses chest compressions only, while conventional CPR combines the compressions with rescue breathing.

It gives an option to people who aren't trained in CPR or are uncomfortable with mouth-to-mouth contact, according to the heart association's Web site. The heart association still advises those who are trained to use both rescue breathing and compressions.

Either way, the techniques of CPR don't have to be perfect. And the training "will break some barriers for some people," said Dr. Dave Krueger, a cardiologist at the Yakima Heart Center and one of the Blitz organizers.

Yakima County needs it, too.

Heart attack victims in the county are 46 percent more likely to die than in the state overall, according to the heart association.

Krueger cites a variety of factors for that -- reluctance to call 9-1-1, the fact that many residents live in rural areas distant from ambulance service, and the county's high rates of obesity, diabetes and smoking.

"If you start out fatter and sicker, then you're more likely to die," he said.

Eighty percent of heart attacks happen at home, making the training especially helpful for family members.

The effort's Web site features a profile about Ellen Davis, a 69-year-old Zillah grandmother who collapsed while shopping in Walmart. CPR from bystanders kept her blood moving for 10 minutes before an ambulance arrived.

She recovered fully and now is helping spread the word about the CPR Blitz.

"The more people that know CPR the better off we are," Davis said.

* Ross Courtney can be reached at 509-930-8798 or rcourtney@yakimaherald.com.

IF YOU GO ...

What: The Great CPR Blitz

When: 8 a.m. to noon, Saturday

Where: Yakima Convention Center, 10 N. Eighth St., Yakima

How much: Free

Who: The training is open to anyone high school age or older. Each participant (or family) will receive an American Heart Association CPR Anytime kit and mannequin. Participants also will have the opportunity to visit with a cardiologist and/or have their blood pressure checked.

To register: Call 509-574-5990 or www.savealifeyakima.org. Organizers prefer participants sign up in advance but will accept walk-ins.