AMR Teams with IAFC and ACEP for World CPR Challenge

GREENWOOD VILLAGE, CO—American Medical Response (AMR) announced May 18 it is collaborating for the second year with the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). During National EMS Week, May 20-26, the organizations will train communities on how to assist those experiencing significant trauma or sudden cardiac arrest.

As a new addition to this year’s World CPR Challenge, many agencies will also be offering basic Stop the Bleed training in addition to compression-only CPR.

“At no other time in history are we seeing how bystander intervention can improve the outcome when they intervene with CPR or by applying a tourniquet to somebody who has suffered a trauma,” said Edward Van Horne, president and CEO of AMR. “Our crews care for more than 30,000 sudden cardiac arrest victims annually, and we know firsthand how survival rates can double or triple when trained bystanders jump into action. Since we created the World CPR Challenge, we have trained more than a quarter million bystanders in compression-only CPR—and that’s just the beginning. Our continuing partnership with IAFC and ACEP will help us to greatly expand our reach as we continue educating citizens about how to save lives.”

Paul Kivela, MD, MBA, FACEP, president of ACEP said bystanders can make all the difference in the world. “Bystander intervention during those first few minutes of an emergency can make the difference between life and death. Learning compression-only CPR doesn’t require an all-day certification—bystanders can be trained and prepared to save a life in only a few minutes.”

“The IAFC is pleased to again participate in the World CPR Challenge and Stop the Bleed campaign with AMR and ACEP,” said Fire Chief Thomas Jenkins, IAFC president and chairman of the board. “The more we can educate and train the general public about compression-only CPR and effective stop the bleed techniques, the more lives will be saved.”

In the last six years as healthcare agencies offer bystander CPR training in their communities, there has been a 20% increase in sudden cardiac arrest victims receiving assistance prior to EMS arrival, saving thousands more lives, according to the release.

Visit amr.net/savealife.

American Medical Response Inc. provides services in 40 states and the District of Columbia. More than 28,000 AMR paramedics, EMTs, RNs and other professionals work together to transport more than 4.8 million patients nationwide each year in critical, emergency and non-emergency situations. AMR also provides fire services through Rural Metro Fire Department and managed transportation services through Access2Care.

The IAFC represents the leadership of firefighters and emergency responders worldwide. IAFC members are the world's leading experts in firefighting, emergency medical services, terrorism response, hazardous materials spills, natural disasters, search and rescue, and public safety legislation.

ACEP is the national medical specialty society representing emergency medicine. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, ACEP has 53 chapters representing each state, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. A Government Services Chapter represents emergency physicians employed by military branches and other government agencies.