Firefighters across several counties came together for a resuscitation summit, aimed to improve the work of firefighters and paramedics.
Hosted by ZOLL Medical in conjunction with the Richland Fire Department, speakers came from as far as the east coast to discuss new data about the likelihood of surviving a heart attack before getting to the hospital. "Nationwide, your odds of surviving an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest of certain types can be up to 30 percent as a national average," said Kevin Hodges, Medical Program Director of EMS. "That's actually walking out of the hospital after your heart stops if somebody witnesses."
In Benton and Franklin counties, that number can be as high as 50 percent. They also talked about new techniques and technology that could change the way CPR is given. It's all in an effort to save more lives.