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Concurrent Block #5

Community Strategies & Survivorship

Novel Approaches to Community Engagement to Save Lives

Building a Community of Bystander Heroes

Friday, December 1, 2023
11:05 AM – 11:20 AM PST
Location: Town and Country Ballroom C

    Primary Presenter(s)

  • Jim Bollenbacher, JD, EMT-P, FP-C

    Lead Instructor
    Nassau County Medical Reserve Corps
    Fernandina Beach, FL, United States

    Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose

    • Moderator(s)

  • Katie N. Dainty, PhD

    Research Chair, Patient-Centred Outcomes
    North York General Hospital
    Toronto, ON, Canada

    Disclosure information not submitted.

Disclosure(s):
Jim Bollenbacher, JD, EMT-P, FP-C: No financial relationships to disclose
Summary: With the nationwide shortage of Firefighters and paramedics, a new approach to training communities on bystander CPR is needed. Local volunteer groups like CERT and Medical Reserve /Corps provide an excellent pool of experienced CPR instructors. This presentation will discuss obstacles we have faced, strategies we are implementing, and results we are getting in offering Hands Only CPR to our community.

Synopsis: In Nassau County Fl we are taking a non-traditional approach to teaching CPR. The Medical Reserve Corps is a group of volunteers organized in the Office of Emergency Management. We are taking the lead role in offering free Hands Only CPR to our community. We meet interested citizens where they are rather than requiring them to come to our classroom. Our approach is to train anyone, anywhere, anytime, and always for free. This more flexible approach to training allows us to reach unique groups for training. I will also focus on the impact of training CPR outside the traditional Fire Rescue paradigm.

Learning Objectives:

  • How to overcome obstacles to traditional CPR training; Recruiting volunteer instructors from within your community
  • This presentation will include ways to educate citizens that can lead to a comprehensive change to a culture of excellence and improved CPR training in the community, schools and workplace.
  • This presentation will describe one or more survivor / rescuer stories that can be used to illustrate an effective chain of survival for cardiac arrest.