Health First Free CPR Event Is A Life Saver

ABOVE VIDEO: Health First’s 6th Annual CPR Day and 5K Run attracted a record crowd of over 5,000 people today at Space Coast Stadium.

Record Crowd of More Than 5,000 People Learn CPR

BREVARD COUNTY • VIERA, FLORIDA – Health First’s 6th Annual CPR Day and 5K Run attracted a record crowd of over 5,000 people at Space Coast Stadium on Saturday morning.

“This has been a tremendous turnout and we are very pleased that there are so many people here who will receive the CPR training and enjoy the fun here at Space Coast Stadium,” said David Schmitt, Health First Training Center Director, who first created the event six years ago.

“This is a group of very committed and talented people,” said Dave Schmitt of of his more than 100 volunteers for the event.

Schmitt said that the group plans a year in advance to ensure the event goes smoothly.

“People really want this training and thanks to the awesome Health First volunteers here today, our citizens will be able to receive it. At the Heath First Training Center, we have around 90 instructors who annually provide around 3,000 CPR (Cardiac Pulmonary Resuscitation) training events for health care providers and an additional 4,000 training events for doctors, nurses and paramedics who receive advanced cardiac life support training.”

A GREAT EVENT FOR OUR FAMILY

The event was free for the public and included free t-shirts for all participants, a certificate of CPR “Friends & Family” training completion, heart healthy physician lectures, Zumba demonstrations cooking demonstrations and a First Flight Helicopter landing demonstration.

Viera’s Pizza Gallery and Edible Art Catering provided healthy foods for people to sample. The event kicked off with the 5K run, followed by the CPR training, which took place in the outfield of the major league stadium.

The giant video screen in center field showed a brief CPR training film to the almost five thousand trainees who then proceeded to practice CPR on mannequins.

“This has been a lot of fun and now we know how to give CPR,” said a group of attendees. “This is awesome.”

Albert Botelho experienced the lifesaving benefits of CPR first hand after suffering a massive heart attack during a 5K run.

“Dave Schmitt, who teaches this course, was right behind me and pretty much saved me,” said Botelho. “The more people who know how to do this (CPR), the less will be a statistic. I’m a perfect example of why you should know CPR.”

Schmitt by training is a paramedic. “Over my career I have done CPR a number of times, but I have never had to use CPR in my private life.”

Similar Stories