The time to call 911 is now if you have someone that is unresponsive... Dial NOW and let the 911 operator make the call as to what to do next. They can help you with CPR and get help coming!
Learn more about signs and symptoms of Stroke, Heart Attack, and Cardia Arrest Click Here.
The American Heart Association is the leader in education. Visit the link above to get info on the Warning signs of heart attach, stroke and cardiac arrest.
Heart Attack warning signs include: chest discomfort, discomfort in other areas of the upper body, shortness of breath, cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.
Stroke warning signs: Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body, sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding, sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes, sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination,; sudden severe headache with no known cause
Cardiac Arrest warning signs: Sudden loss of responsiveness, no normal breathing
CALL 911 NOW!!!!
If someone is suddenly unresponsive, you can't wake them by tapping them on the shoulder and shouting, "Are you OK?" Call 911 NOW.
Every minute an AED is delayed, that is the 3rd link in the chain of Cardiac Survival, is 10% less chance of living another day.
American cities, airports, and businesses are deploying AED's, Automated External Defibrillators, with tremendous results. The best of the best are seeing 70% save rates. Thirty to Seventy percent save rates for sudden cardiac arrest to discharge from the hospital is a fantastic result of the AED technology being used in a very timely fashion. But in rural America it can take 20 minutes for an Ambulance to show up with an AED, that is 200% dead. Living in rural America doesn't have to be a death sentence. Rural American's have a long tradition of looking out for each other. When the Cows are out, we know who to call and often help get the cows back in the fenced pasture.
With today's ubiquitous 911 mapping dispatch systems, easy to use, low cost, AED technology; Cell and Texting systems, we can now deploy AED's in the hands of "FAST RESPONDERS" that is a neighbor willing and trusted by neighbors to give that lifesaving hand in the most urgent time of need, a cardiac arrest. DeFib America, Three Minutes to Defibrillation in Rural America, Inc. is working to change rural America... to bring live saving help in minutes, so Ambulance (EMT's and Paramedics) crews have a live patient to work with as they complete the chain of cardiac survival. All the best trained med-evac helicopters crews, EMT's, surgeons, and paramedics, will fail without the efforts of a Fast Responder with an AED arriving in minutes and giving CPR and heart regrouping shock.
Think of a tick-tack-toe grid, every Fast Responder is backed up by eight other Fast Responders to insure a volunteer is nearly always available, day and night. Each square represents a 3 x 3 mile area, with an AED/First Aid Kit equipped Fast Responder in the middle. They may never deploy, or they might be called on a couple times a year, but when the call comes they need to be trained and act, act to do the right thing when minutes count!