The following was written by James Apa for Public Health Insider:

For National Emergency Medical Services (EMS) week (May 19 – 25), we’re honoring the work that makes our EMS/Medic One system in King County world-class. Each weekday, we’ll share another way that EMS/Medic One works to save lives and help people in emergencies.

May 20 is EMS Education Day for National EMS Week. Our King County EMS/Medic One system has a track record of successfully educating local communities so that more people survive cardiac arrest. Teaching the public to perform CPR is a critical link in the chain of survival, keeping a person in cardiac arrest alive until first responders arrive.

Thanks to the work of many community partners — including workplace organizations, school-based training, and range of civic groups and individual initiatives — about 80 percent of King County residents are trained in CPR and 70 percent of all out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in King County received bystander CPR. Great work, King County livesavers!

CPR IN A BOX TRAINS MORE COMMUNITY LIFESAVERS

We’re looking to build on this bystander CPR success and save even more lives. King County’s Emergency Medical Services Division has developed a new program to provide self-guided CPR education kits to area businesses, organizations and community partners. The kits, called CPR in a Box, teach people how to do the most current training in hands-only CPR, emphasizing chest compressions only, with no rescue breaths.

This ready-to-go training kit is an effective way for businesses and other partners to educate their staff and communities on CPR and reach more people. Many partners are already committed to saving lives by purchasing Automated External Defibrillators (AED) to help bystanders check for an abnormal heart rhythm and delivering controlled shocks that can restart a heart. CPR in the Box is designed as a perfect companion, with training on how to use AEDs as well as hands-free CPR.

So, what’s in CPR in a Box? It’s stocked with everything that you need for the training: CPR manikin, AED trainer, instructional video and portable DVD player, table-top infographic banner, kit instructions for the site facilitator and product user, CPR completion cards, badge buddies, and display holders for product materials.

Businesses and organizations can use the kits during safety committee or department meetings, and as an opportunity to promote hands-only CPR education during health and wellness campaigns. CPR in a Box kits are portable, allowing for set-up in a breakroom or communal locations where employees may interact and train on the kit as their time allows.

HOW ORGANIZATIONS CAN GET CPR IN A BOX

Four complete kits are available for loan to participating organizations for up to two weeks. For more information about the CPR in a Box program, please contact Laura Miccile, King County Emergency Medical Services Division at Laura.Miccile@kingcounty.gov.