Staying Alive: GWCCA debuts new CPR training kiosk

Not all superheroes wear capes. Some heroes are everyday individuals, who step in to help others when there’s an emergency. While you may not be faster than a speeding bullet or have the ability to scale skyscrapers with your web shooters, you can learn how to save a life the next time you visit the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) by using the new Hands-Only CPR training kiosk.

The American Heart Association (AHA), Northside Hospital, and the Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA) unveiled the training kiosk today during a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The interactive machine is located in the Building B lobby across from the Social Table restaurant.

The AHA operates Hands-Only CPR kiosks in high-traffic places and this is metro Atlanta’s third kiosk location, with two others located at the Home Depot’s Store Support Center in southeast Cobb County and at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport’s Concourse A.

The goal is to spread awareness about the importance of effective bystander CPR. “Cardiac arrest remains a leading cause of death in the United States, and survival depends on immediately receiving CPR from someone nearby,” Hank Linginfelter, chairman of the Metro Atlanta American Heart Association advisory board, said in a news release. “Although in-person training is still the best way to learn the skills necessary for high-quality CPR, the kiosk will provide training that could make a difference and provide help in an emergency.”

According to the AHA, more than 20 percent of cardiac emergencies occur in public places like airports, casinos, sporting facilities, workplaces and convention centers. With more than three million visitors coming to the GWCCA campus annually and more than a million visiting the convention center each year, this kiosk will give visitors and team members the opportunity to learn a vital live-saving skill.

“This kiosk is an important addition to our facility and yet another example of how we are committed to being the best destination in the industry,” said Joe Bocherer, the GWCCA’s chief commercial officer.

So how do you train to be a lifesaver in minutes?

Here’s how it works. The kiosk features a touch screen with a video program that provides a brief introduction and overview of Hands-Only CPR. With the help of a practice manikin, or a rubber torso, users receive a practice session followed by a 30-second test. Once the test is complete, the kiosk gives feedback about the depth and rate of compressions and proper hand placement – factors that influence the effectiveness of CPR. The entire training takes about five minutes.

Time is especially important when dealing with cardiac emergency and there are two simple steps of Hands-Only CPR:

• If a bystander sees a teen or adult collapse, he or she should first call 9-1-1.
• Then push hard and fast in the center of the chest to the beat of The Bee Gees’ song “Stayin’ Alive.” This song has 100 beats per minute (bpm), the minimum rate you should push on the chest during Hands-Only CPR.