LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Louisville Fire Department, American Heart Association and Louisville Metro government have launched the #HandsOnLou campaign to bring CPR and automated external defibrillator awareness (AED) and education to the public.

The American Heart Association says more than 90% of people who experience a cardiac arrest outside of the hospital will not survive, in part because most don’t receive CPR before professional help arrives.

People can stop by any Louisville fire station from 11 a.m to 8 p.m. to get hands-on practice for CPR. All 21 stations are equipped with a new electronic CPR training manikin. The manikin makes it easy to know when compressions are the right depth.

The American Heart Association says more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the U.S. each year. Over 70% of those occur at home, which means if you need to act, you will most likely be attempting to save the life of a friend or family member.

“We would love to share this bit of information with you to make you feel more confident in knowing what to do in those few seconds or moments right after a cardiac arrest happens to someone nearby. You can be the difference between someone going home to their family or not,” said Captain Tamara Stewart with the Louisville Fire Department. 

The American Heart Association says hands-only CPR, or CPR without breaths, is proven to be just as effective as traditional CPR for an adult or teen and if performed immediately, can double or triple a person’s chance of survival.

The Louisville Fire Department wants to remind people that if you do come to learn CPR and the fire bell goes off, you will have to come back at another time.