News Release

National Safety Council Offers Free CPR Training, June 1-7

“CPR and AED Awareness Week” Launches Council’s Annual Observance of National Safety Month

Itasca, IL – Recognizing National CPR and AED Awareness Week, the National Safety Council will offer free on-line CPR and AED training from June 1-7. The opportunity is an easy and convenient way for people to learn or renew critical skills that could make the difference between life and death for a family member, colleague or any individual experiencing cardiac arrest. The free training is available at http://WWW.NSCFIRSTAID.COM/NationalCPRweek (this link will be active June 1-7 only).

National CPR and AED Awareness Week is sponsored by the National Safety Council, American Heart Association and the American Red Cross based upon these facts that underscore the need for training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of an automated external defibrillator:

  • More than 300,000 Americans experience sudden cardiac arrest each year;
  • About 95 percent of cardiac arrest victims die before arriving at the hospital;
  • Effective bystander CPR delivered immediately after cardiac arrest – before medical personnel have time to arrive -- can double a victim’s chance of survival.

Offering free on-line CPR and AED training also launches the National Safety Council’s 2008 observance National Safety Month, the Council’s annual June campaign to save lives by building American awareness of injury prevention and the leading causes of unintentional injury and death.

Please note: the free training does not include CPR and AED certification. Certification is available year-around through classroom and on-line courses conducted by state and regional chapters of the National Safety Council.

To learn more about the National Safety Council, the location of its chapters or June National Safety Month, visit NSC.org.

The National Safety Council is a nonprofit, nongovernmental, international public service organization dedicated to educating and influencing people to prevent accidental injuries and deaths. Members of the NSC include more than 50,000 businesses, labor organizations, schools, public agencies, private groups and individuals. Founded in 1913 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1953, the primary focus of the NSC is promoting safety and health in the workplace, in transportation, and in homes and communities.

For Immediate Release,
May 21, 2008

Media Contact:
Meredith Morris
(630) 254-0555
media@nsc.org