Join Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue firefighters, Tigard Police, Valley Catholic Middle School students and Legacy Health to learn hands-only CPR at Washington Square Mall on Saturday, February 3, from noon to 3 p.m. in the event space below the food court. Students, nurses, police officers and firefighters will demonstrate how easy it is to perform hands-only CPR by allowing guests to practice the skill on mannequins.

Valley Catholic Middle School and Legacy Meridian Park’s Middle School Healthy Hearts Program have been instrumental leaders in teaching thousands of others hands-only CPR. Law enforcement agencies have also partnered with TVF&R to increase cardiac arrest survivability. Many officers and deputies throughout Washington County are trained to respond to cardiac arrest calls. Specifically, all Tigard patrol vehicles now carry an automated external defibrillator (AED) and respond to cardiac arrest calls.

Rebecca Lesley, senior marketing manager at Washington Square states, "At Washington Square, our team members are trained and certified in CPR and AEDs every year. We have seen this training result in lives saved at the mall. We support efforts to teach this lifesaving skill to our guests and retailers and expand the network of community members who are trained to respond to a cardiac emergency."

For the entire month of February, you can expect to see TVF&R firefighters wearing red t-shirts to promote conversation and action regarding heart health and steps to take in a cardiac emergency.

Already know hands-only CPR? Download the free PulsePoint app today! It will alert you if someone nearby in a public place needs bystander CPR and instruct you on the location of the nearest publically accessible AED.

According to the American Heart Association, more than 326,000 people experience cardiac arrest each year before getting to a hospital and about 90 percent do not survive. Because a patient’s chance of survival decreases by 10 percent for each minute without CPR from the time of arrest, bystander intervention is crucial. When community members are willing and able to provide early CPR, and AEDs are readily available, the chances of a patient surviving a cardiac event increase.