Project 50,000

This article appears in the December 2009 edition of Sportshorts.

To mark 50 years of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in Australia, 50,000 people will be trained in CPR during November and December.

“Drowning remains a significant cause of preventable death, particularly in children aged under five years,” says Michael Ilinsky, Operations Manager for the Royal Life Saving Society of NSW.

“Parents and carers can reduce this risk with steps including active supervision, restricting the child’s access to water, taking the child to water familiarisation lessons and learning resuscitation (CPR).

“As one third of all drownings occur during summer, these measures are critically important during the warmer months,” says Mr Ilinsky. With this in mind, Royal Life has embarked on an ambitious mission.

“Project 50,000 involves us setting out to train 50,000 people in this lifesaving skill throughout NSW and ACT during November and December 2009. “Achieving this target will be a huge boost to aquatic safety. Project 50,000 is also a way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of CPR in Australia.

“We’re working with community organisations, the education sector and the aquatic industry to provide opportunities to either undertake CPR training or distribute CPR information.”

Mr Ilinsky says the benefits of CPR training are immeasurable. “A recent report by the Children’s Hospital at Westmead highlighted that only one in ten people know how to perform CPR. Furthermore, one in three would not treat a collapsed child.

“International studies have shown that bystanders performing CPR on children can more than triple survival rates. “By learning some basic life saving skills such as CPR you can save a life,” said Mr Ilinsky.

Three easy ways to learn CPR

Visit www.royallifesaving.com.au for more information on each.

(1) Enrol in a course The Royal Life Saving Society offers CPR courses throughout NSW.

(2) CPR in a Box™ (**new**)
A revolutionary method of teaching CPR. It uses a unique “watch and do” technique where you practice CPR on a personal manikin, while watching the skills being taught and performed on a DVD. Research on this program has proven it to be equivalent to, or better than, a traditional CPR course. CPR in a Box™ can be completed in less than 30 minutes and costs just $49.50.

Each box contains:

• 1 X CPR Mini-Anne Manikin
• 1 X Royal Life Saving Resuscitation (CPR) Certificate – unendorsed
• 1 X DVD – “Everyone can be a Lifesaver”
• 2 X spare lung bags
• 2 X manikin wipes

(3) CPR Flow Chart
Download a CPR Flow Chart (PDF version) from the Royal Life Saving Society website, www.royallifesaving.com.au