Grayslake Fire Department Kicking Off 'Give the Gift of CPR' Campaign

The Grayslake Fire Protection District is starting the first annual “Give the Gift of CPR” campaign this holiday season.

In an effort to raise awareness and educate our residents in the life saving skill of CPR, we are making “CPR Anytime Kits” available for purchase at our headquarters station for the discounted cost of $30. The kits are a product produced by the American Heart Association to provide the basic skills to perform CPR, use an AED and give choking relief. This training takes as little as 20 minutes in the comfort of the home. While the kit will not help you obtain a CPR card, it will give you the confidence to take action when needed. 

Data provided from the American Heart Association shows that 70 percent of Americans feel helpless to act during a cardiac emergency because they don’t feel comfortable performing CPR or are afraid of hurting the person in need. Knowing that 80 percent of sudden cardiac arrests happen in private or residential settings, we want residents to feel they can step in and take action to save their loved one, friend or neighbor.

As a department, we need residents to be a part of the chain of survival by calling 911 and performing CPR during the critical minutes prior to EMS arrival. Save rates climb dramatically with bystander CPR following a cardiac event. Educating the community in Hands Only CPR for teens and adults in cardiac arrest goes a long way in meeting our mission of saving lives and protecting property.

As families gather for the holidays or look for gift ideas, we would like them to consider giving the gift of CPR, a life saving skill.

“I feel confident that at some point in every person’s life they will find themselves in a situation where they need to take action, and we want you to feel comfortable in doing CPR,” said Lt. Mike Higgins, Grayslake Fire Department Medical Officer.