American Heart Association brings free Hands-Only CPR training to community
By North Forty News Staff | NorthFortyNews.com
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Northern Colorado residents will soon have a new opportunity to learn lifesaving skills as the American Heart Association unveils Colorado’s first Hands-Only CPR training kiosk at the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery.
The free, interactive kiosk will be introduced during a public ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, Aug. 12, at 2 p.m. at the museum, 408 Mason Court. After the launch, the kiosk will remain available to visitors for one year, offering ongoing access to self-guided CPR training.
The kiosk teaches the two essential steps of Hands-Only CPR: call 911 and push hard and fast in the center of the chest. Participants practice on a training mannequin while an interactive touchscreen provides real-time feedback on compression depth, compression rate and hand placement.
Representatives from the American Heart Association, BNSF Railway, Poudre Fire Authority and the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery will participate in the launch event.
According to the American Heart Association, more than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside hospitals in the United States each year, and about 90% are fatal. Immediate Hands-Only CPR performed by a bystander can significantly increase a person’s chance of survival, yet approximately 70% of Americans say they do not feel prepared to respond during a cardiac emergency.
The Fort Collins kiosk supports the American Heart Association’s Nation of Lifesavers initiative, which seeks to double survival rates from cardiac arrest by 2030 by increasing public CPR knowledge and confidence. Funding from BNSF Railway made the installation possible.
Media attending the event will have opportunities to watch demonstrations of the kiosk, capture the ribbon-cutting ceremony, interview American Heart Association representatives and experience the training firsthand.
The Fort Collins Museum of Discovery has welcomed more than one million visitors since opening at its current location in 2012. The museum features interactive exhibits highlighting science, history, agriculture, astronomy, Indigenous cultures and Northern Colorado, along with the region’s only 360-degree immersive digital dome theater.
For more information about the American Heart Association, visit heart.org. Information about the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery is available at https://fcmod.org. <div style=”background:#f2f2f2;padding:16px;border-left:4px solid #0073aa;margin:20px 0;”> <strong>Support local journalism.</strong> Become a North Forty News member and help us continue covering the stories that matter across Northern Colorado. <a href=”https://northfortynews.com/trial”>Start your membership today.</a> </div>