CPR courses for Don’t Die July

Steve Bastioni - urges people to get their CPR qualifications.

Aussie ‘Police Rescue’ TV star and former military paramedics are amongst a group of Australian first responders to launch an international cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) course to teach people the simple steps to save lives in its DON’T DIE JULY campaign.

Each year, there are about 25,000 reported occurrences of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Australia, 30,000 in the UK, and 350,000 in the USA. Of these, only about one in 10 people survive.

The DON’T DIE JULY online training course – to be launched by the Queensland-based Public Safety Training and Response Group on July 1 – will be rolled out across Australia, the United Kingdom and the USA throughout July, aiming to reach and teach one million people live-saving CPR.

Public Safety Training and Response Group General Manager Operations, Trevor Arnold ESM, said the faster that CPR and defibrillation is commenced after cardiac arrest, the greater the patient’s chance of survival.

“Statistics show that about 80 per cent of out-of-hospital cardiac events occur at home, therefore we are encouraging everyone to become certified in CPR 101 through an online course people can do from the comfort of their own home,” Mr Arnold said.

“Successful completion of this course will empower members of a household, sporting club, or community, to recognise when a person is in cardiac arrest and respond to this life‐threatening emergency to maximise survival.”

Police Rescue TV actor Steve Bastoni, who is the presenter of the online training course, said the Public Safety Training and Response Group’s DON’T DIE JULY campaign and online course would enable people to easily and quickly become a potential lifesaver.

“Cardiac arrests can happen anywhere, at any time, therefore we are offering this course that costs just $30 and takes just 30 minutes, so that people can gain the skills and confidence to save a life,” Mr Bastoni said.

“We know that every second counts when it comes to saving a life and carrying out CPR, so I would encourage you to visit www.dontdiejuly.com and register to become a lifesaver today.”

The Public Safety Training and Response Group is headquartered in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, but has global experience in both public safety training and operations.