DC Fire and EMS Urge Public to Learn CPR

An onlooker labeled a young girl’s resuscitation at the Langdon Park Pool in D.C. as ‘miraculous’. The girl was swept under the water while many kids were in the pool, and was unconscious as she was rescued from the pool’s floor, limp and seemingly numb.

Fortunately, two employees who worked at the pool started to give the girl CPR while onlookers called 911. The staff continued giving CPR until she finally began to spit water from her mouth. Witnesses stated that she finally awoke frightened, but alive.

EMS in D.C. made it to the scene and found a rare sight – the staff members had saved the girl’s life. Community members don’t always know CPR, and it’s especially uncommon for children’s lives to be saved in the near-drowning scenario before emergency personnel reaches the scene.

The heroism demonstrates how important it is for community members to know how to give CPR. DC Fire and EMS are encouraging everyone “to learn CPR and become lifesavers themselves.” Every individual can make a difference and play a role, and having the public trained in CPR means that there’s a better chance of having a positive outcome.

On Labor Day, in particular, DC EMS and Fire teams received 151 critical calls (564 total calls), which are fairly high numbers for even several teams of professionals to get to in one day. It’s always advantageous if there are caring citizens around who have been trained and are willing to help.

More individuals could be rescued if trained community members are willing to help. Those who haven’t received training can attempt to keep circulation flowing with instructions from 911 dispatchers until further help can make it to the scene. Almost everybody can perform hands-only CPR and it could help dramatically.

Legally, though, in order to give another person CPR, the patient needs to be able to give their permission. The only exception to this happens when the patient is too impaired to give their consent.

In situations like the one at the Langdon Park Pool where the victim is impaired or unconscious and it’s clear that CPR is necessary, consent should be assumed because every second counts.

Don’t forget to keep your CPR certification updated so that you are always aware of any legalities. “In a crisis, individuals who become certified to perform CPR are told to be aware of state law, obtain consent (if possible), remember the training, not to collect a reward, and to always act according to the patient’s best interests,” stated Jim Parrish, personal injury lawyer in Fairfax VA.

You, too, can be a hero of the caliber that would make Superman proud. In their Guidelines for ECC and CPR, the American Heart Association stated that roughly 90% of over 350,000 Americans who undergo cardiac arrests away from the hospital don’t live. Starting CPR right away can increase the victim’s chance of living by two to three times!