Glendale Adventist Medical Center, Glendale Fire Department host annual Sidewalk CPR event
Nancy Russon, from the Glendale Fire Department, left, shows Betty Ana Davoodian, right, and Romeo Ghariby, center, both 10, how to properly perform compression techniques, also known as hands-only CPR, during the Sidewalk CPR event at the Glendale Galleria on Thursday, June 2, 2016.
Eddie Gomez hovered over the torso of a dummy Thursday afternoon, performing chest compressions while a hospital worker sang.
“Ah, ah, ah, ah, save a life, save a life,” sang Parisa Jamsheed, chest pain coordinator for Glendale Adventist Medical Center, to the tune of the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive.”
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The song gave Gomez an idea of how fast to perform hands-only CPR, which he was learning as part of the annual Sidewalk CPR event hosted by the hospital and the Glendale Fire Department at the Glendale Galleria.
According to Dr. Cheryl Lee Jang, people should strive to perform about 100 compressions per minute, two inches deep. The key, she said, is to start compressions right away after calling 911.
Los Angeles resident Larry Keeshen, 90, learns how to properly perform compression techniques during the Sidewalk CPR event at the Glendale Galleria on Thursday, June 2, 2016.
“Every second counts in terms of reviving a heart,” Jang said, while a colleague added that a majority of cardiac arrests occur at home. “If the family can do it for us, wonderful.”
Dozens of shoppers stopped by the booth to pick up the skill, for free, during the three-hour event, walking away better prepared to handle an emergency.
Jang, along with Glendale paramedics and other hospital workers, distributed cards in Spanish, Armenian and English, instructing passersby what to do if someone loses consciousness.
“Keep doing it until paramedics or help comes,” Jamsheed told Gomez, whose arms were getting tired after repeated compressions. “If you’re tired, that means you’re doing it effectively.”
Nancy Russon, from the Glendale Fire Deptartment, shows how to properly perform hands-only CPR during the Sidewalk CPR event at the Glendale Galleria on Thursday, June 2, 2016.
Also among the shoppers who stopped by was 18-year-old Brian Sanchez, who said he’s aspired to be a paramedic since he was 9 years old.
“It’s easier than I thought,” he said of CPR.
Thursday marked the fifth year the training event was offered in Glendale.
“We just want to be proactive in our community,” Jang said. “The more our community residents know about how to help their loved ones, the better it is for us.”
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Alene Tchekmedyian, alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com
Twitter: @atchek
