DUBOIS – With summer arriving, The American Red Cross has learned that most people, when in emergency situations, are unprepared or hesitant to help. Through conducting surveys, the Red Cross wants to raise the number of preparedness for summer 2010 and seasons to come.
A recent Red Cross survey showed that 68 percent of Americans have been involved in some kind of summer emergency, from insect bites to heatstroke, broken bones, and some even more life threatening, one in four have been in situations where an individual has needed CPR.
Americans plan to be very active this summer, with 40 percent planning on hiking and 75 percent swimming. While planning on being active, many do not know the right actions to take in case of emergency, with less than two-thirds knowing how to treat a person suffering from heat stroke, with fewer than half knowing how to react to someone have an allergic reaction to a bug bite, etc; 90 percent want to prepared, but do not know where to start.
“With so many people outdoors camping, hiking and swimming, it’s important that someone in every household get trained in CPR and first aid skills,” says Connie Harvey, health and safety expert for the American Red Cross “Learning these lifesaving skills is easier and more convenient than you might think, and Red Cross training can help people prevent and respond to life’s emergencies – big or small.”
Your DuBois Chapter of the American Red Cross is offering adult CPR/AED classes every first Tuesday of the month, standard first aid offered every third Tuesday of the month, and infant child CPR every second Tuesday of every other month. For additional classes and certifications please contact the DuBois Chapter at 814-371-2750, or visit www.duboisarc.org.