Prince George, B.C. – The B.C.Ambulance Service is hoping that you will make 2013 a  safer place for yourself, your family and your friends.

The B.C. Ambulance Service attends between 2,400 and 2,800 cardiac arrest calls every year.  Only 12% of  B.C.  residents who suffer a cardiac arrest will survive, and with the majority of incidents happening at home, the BC Ambulance Service is urging you to learn CPR.  

“Bystander CPR is critical to patient survival of a sudden cardiac arrest,” says BCAS Superintendent Okanagan North Norm Matheson. “We know that bystander CPR saves lives – the more we can encourage everyone to be trained in CPR, the greater the chance of saving lives and ensuring a happy ending to what could be a devastating event.”

• Teach your children to  call 9-1-1.  Teaching  your children to  dial those numbers in the event of an emergency, and to  know their home address.
• Install proper safety latches on windows. This is particularly important in apartment buildings and condo settings.  Screens should never be relied on for safety  as they cannot support the  weight of a child pushing against them.   A fall from a window can result in broken bones, facial and head trauma and even death.