Yuma News Now

Phoenix, Arizona - The American Red Cross encourages everyone to learn how to save a life during National CPR/AED Awareness Week June 1-7. Learning the skills could mean the difference between life and death.

Everyday, in our community, the Grand Canyon Chapter helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to disasters and emergencies of all types.

There’s no question that your local Red Cross will be there to provide help and relief when severe weather strikes, after a home fire or disaster. But we also help people prepare for life’s emergencies.

As part of National CPR/AED Awareness Week, and throughout the year, the Grand Canyon Chapter is offering CPR and AED courses.

As we head into summer, it’s important to know these lifesaving skills before participating in water-related activities. *Did you know that nearly 48-percent of the people the Red Cross surveyed will be taking part in water-related activities at places where there is no lifeguard? The Red Cross also learned one in four people know someone who drowned.

Arizonans can learn to save a life by taking a Red Cross CPR/AED course. To see the class schedule and register, click here.

Business leaders can train their workers by setting up a Red Cross CPR/AED class at their workplace. Email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for details.

Another option is learning basic life-saving skills at home, in the office, in classrooms or anywhere it’s convenient to practice skills, with the Red Cross’s First Aid and CPR for Everyone Kit. Although not intended to substitute for a formal training course, this product was designed to provide consumers an educational overview of valuable first aid and CPR information and skills. The box set features an illustrated guide to demonstrate hand placement on the chest and a compression practice tool to help measure just the right amount of pressure needed to properly administer chest compressions.

In December of 2007, Congress declared the first week of June each year as National CPR/AED Awareness Week. June 1-7, 2009 marks the second National CPR and AED Awareness Week with the goal of encouraging individuals and business leaders to become trained in CPR and the use of AED.

*CARAVAN® Opinion Research Corporation conducted a phone survey of 1002 U.S. adults 18 years and older on March 20-23, 2009. Margin of error is +/- 3.1 percent at 95% confidence level.