Red Cross of Western South Dakota urges public to learn life-saving tips

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - CPR has been long thought to be a surefire way of saving someone’s life in the event of a heart attack or other medical emergency, but it can also have negative effects if not done correctly.

That’s why it’s important to understand how to properly conduct CPR, not only to save a life but to be prepared in case of a sudden emergency. The Red Cross of Western South Dakota is doing their part in educating people on basic CPR procedures which they believe helps save lives.

“Without doing CPR of some kind to keep the blood pumping through the system, keep oxygen moving through the system providing that much-needed oxygen to the brain the vital organs, the chance of survival pretty much goes to zero, if they’re just left alone to their own devices,” said executive director of the Red Cross of Western South Dakota Richard Smith.

Smith says simply doing chest compressions to keep the blood flowing throughout the body while you wait for emergency service providers to arrive can make all the difference.

“We’re locking our fingers together getting up on top of him, and we’re starting in the middle of the chest. We’re starting compressions. We’ve now we would’ve been pumping blood through the system. They would’ve been hopefully getting oxygen to those vital parts, help would be arriving shortly and then they would come in and administer that and probably start the same process again,” said Smith.

For more information on basic CPR training and CPR certifications click here.