Working on a camp staff this year, we are required to be trained in First Aid, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and in using an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) . We had a class from 9 to 4 on all of these skills and practiced on mannequins. Here are some basic strategies and tips that can help you in administering CPR.

Prerequisites

Let us begin with a scenario. You are a dinning hall, restaurant or cafeteria of some sort. A man about 60 or so years old is behind the counter serving your food. Suddenly, he groans and collapses to the ground. Many people are staring, but nobody seems to move. Somebody needs to act fast!

Step One: Make sure the scene is safe.

You cannot help the man if you would end up getting injured yourself. Quickly assess the scene and make sure you and the victim are not in any danger.

Step Two: Check for responsiveness.

Kneel next to the victim, tap their shoulders and shout, "Are you OK? Are you OK?" A responsive person will speak, move, blink or react in some way. If they don't, they are what is called unresponsive. They need help.

Step Three: Find help.

Yell for help. If somebody comes to help, ask them to call 911 and find an AED. AEDs are in many restaurants and public places. Make sure emergency services are called. Stay on the line with the dispatcher, place it on speaker phone and answer all their questions fully. This will not delay the arrival time of paramedics.

Step Four: Check for breathing.

Lay the person flat on the ground or hard surface. Watch their chest. Is it rising and falling? Place your ear near their mouth. Do you hear breath sounds or feel it hitting you? If not, there's obviously a major problem. Limit your check for breath to five to 10 seconds. Time is crucial. If the victim is gasping for breath, CPR is still needed. This is a sign of the first few minutes of Sudden Cardiac Arrest. If the person is breathing but not responsive, lay them on their side and wait for paramedics to arrive.

Step Five: Chest compressions and rescue breaths.

For the victim to survive, you are going to need to beat their heart for them as well as be their lungs.

Start with chest compressions. Remove clothing from around the victim's chest. Clasp both of your hands palms down on top of each other and place them on the center of the victim's breastbone. Press down hard and fast 30 times. You should be doing 100-120 compressions a minute. Ironically, enough, the song "Stayin' Alive" can give you the appropriate tempo as to compression to.

The compressions should be at least two inches deep. Be sure to allow the chest to recoil. After the 30 compressions, you will need to quickly administer rescue breaths. You will place one hand on the forehead and lift the head from the tip of the chin with the other. Be sure not to obstruct the airway from the bottom of the chin. Administer two one-second long rescue breaths. While administering the breaths, look down the patients body to make sure the chest rises and falls. If it isn't, there may be an obstruction. Only dislodge an obstruction if you can see it. Do not stop compressions for more than 10 seconds. Continue this ratio of 30 compressions: two breaths until advanced medical care arrives and takes over.

If someone else is with you and knows CPR, take shifts every two minutes as CPR is tiring, and the quality of compressions decreases with time.

Step Six: AED Procedures

An Automated External Defibrillator (AED) administers an electrical shock to stun the victim's heart to get it back into a functioning rhythm. If you have access to an AED use it immediately.

The best part of an AED is that it usually talks to the rescuer and leads them through the steps.

1. Open AED and place pads on the victim. Some kits come with pads specified for adults and children.

2. The AED will analyze the rhythm and see if there needs to be a shock.

3. If a shock is advised, stay clear of the patient and keep everyone clear.

4. When clear, press the shock button.

5. Restart CPR.

6. Repeat and follow instructions until the paramedics arrive.

Remember, this article is nowhere near a substitution for a CPR or First Aid class. To check you local classes, check out the American Heart Association website.

Get out there and save a life!