South East Coast Ambulance Service is holding its first-ever CPRathon to raise awareness of why women are less likely to receive lifesaving CPR during a cardiac arrest.
The event will take place on Restart a Heart Day, Friday 16 October, from 10am until 10pm at Asda Chatham Superstore.
Ambulance staff, other emergency services and members of the community will work together to keep CPR going continuously throughout the day.
The event follows research from St John Ambulance which found that 23 per cent of people would be less likely to perform CPR on a woman.
SECAmb says every minute without CPR and defibrillation significantly reduces a person’s chance of surviving a cardiac arrest.
The trust hopes the CPRathon will help challenge some of the barriers behind the gender gap in bystander CPR and give more people the confidence and skills to step in during an emergency.
SECAmb already has one of the highest 30-day survival rates for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the country and hopes the event will encourage more people to recognise cardiac arrest and act quickly.
Among those supporting the event will be cardiac arrest survivor Demi Buxton, whose life was saved after her heart stopped while she was with a friend and colleague in Kent.
Her friend began chest compressions before a first-aid trained estate agent nearby stepped in to help.
Demi said: “When I collapsed, CPR gave me a second chance at life.
“Everyone deserves that same chance, which is why it’s so important that people feel confident performing CPR on anyone who needs it.”
The CPRathon will also raise money for the SECAmb Charity.
Funding could be used to buy more female CPR training manikins, expand community CPR education and help more people gain confidence in responding to cardiac arrests.
Danny Dixon, Head of Operations for Community Resilience at SECAmb, said: “We know that there are barriers that can make people less likely to perform CPR on women and, at SECAmb, we want to help change that.
“Our CPRathon is a great opportunity for us to raise awareness and help build confidence in our communities, while also raising vital funds for SECAmb Charity, which can ultimately help us save more lives.”
Members of the public are being encouraged to attend, learn CPR and support those taking part in the challenge.
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