4th Annual CPR and AED Awareness Week Underway

June 1-7, 2011 will mark the fourth National CPR and AED Awareness Week, as declared by Congress and supported by the American Red Cross and American Heart Association.

The event began in 2008 and is always held the first week of June, with the goal of encouraging states, cities and towns to establish organized programs to provide CPR and AED training to the public.

The Red Cross is encouraging the public to take these steps:

• Learn hands-only CPR by watching their online video and sharing it with family and friends.
• Download the Hands-only CPR Ready Reference sheet in English or Spanish.
• Sign up for a full CPR class and encourage family and friends to do the same.
• Download the free emergency SOS app for Android created by the American Red Cross and Sharecare to provide step-by-step instructions for cardiac and other emergencies

"Through this outreach, we hope that we can raise the public awareness of sudden cardiac arrest, suffered by more than 300,000 people each year and increase the chance of survival that can be achieved by having at least one person in each household trained in CPR and the use of an AED," the American Red Cross states.