Murrieta residents are invited to groove to the beat of "Stayin' Alive" while learning to perform Sidewalk CPR this Valentine's Day.
The Murrieta Fire Department is hosting Sidewalk CPR—a condensed version of traditional cardiopulmonary resuscitation the involves simple chest compressions and is thought to be nearly as effective, but much less intimate—from 9 a.m to 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14 at Station No. 2, 40060 California Oaks Road.
Residents can stop by any time during those hours for a free, 10-minute lesson in Sidewalk CPR, according to Murrieta fire Chief Matt Shobert.
"Our arduous goal is to teach Sidewalk CPR to 1,000 Murrieta residents on Valentine’s Day," Shobert said.
The new format—taught to the beat of the old Bee Gees' song, "Stayin’ Alive"—takes roughly 10 minutes to learn compared with the traditional class, which is expensive and time consuming, Shobert said.
Additionally, Sidewalk CPR does not require mouth-to-mouth contact with a heart attack victim, Shobert said.
There is no pre-registration required to take the short course; residents may simply stop by the station on Feb. 14, he said.
In the event of a real patient to help in the city, one can expect the fire department to be there in 6 to 8 minutes after being called to take over. But those first minutes are critical for the patients survival if his heart had stopped. If on a hike up in the hills it is obviously better to be with persons who know how to do this. This is totally different from the formal classroom training and breathing into the patients month required years ago for a formal CPR certificate, so there is not much expense giving the Sidewalk CPR experience.
There is a formal program where young persons that are interested in fire department activities participate. I do not know the programs name. I assume they are not paid. There were several of them helping last time, by holding up the signs for motorists to see, and in other ways helping out. I believe that this is an appropriate and important activity for the fire department personnel to be doing on paid time. I encourage everyone to stop in and participate. It is easy and worthwhile. This fire station is located on Californai Oaks at the intersection with Hancock Ave. This is about halfway between I-15 and Clinton Keith Rd.