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Last updated on Thursday, June 1, 2017
(BLOOMINGTON) - Today Mayor John Hamilton awarded Bloomington resident Jeremy Moore the Civilian Lifesaving Award for saving the life of a co-worker who experienced a life-threatening cardiac event.
Moore began CPR as soon as he recognized his co-worker was in distress. Mayor Hamilton praised Moore's quick and appropriate response which resulted in sustaining his co-worker's life until medical personnel arrived, saying "Jeremy Moore is a shining example of selflessness, responsiveness and grace under pressure."
Moore was joined by his family, friends, Curry Auto Center co-workers, members of the Bloomington Fire Department, and the man whose life he saved at the reception to honor him, where he was presented with the Civilian Lifesaving Award and a proclamation by Mayor Hamilton declaring today "Jeremy Moore Day" in Bloomington. Moore and the man he saved agreed that the experience "bonded them for life."
When asked about his CPR training, Jeremy mentioned learning CPR several years prior while attending college. In the professional world of emergency services, Jeremy's actions and those of his co-workers at Curry Auto Center completed the first two steps in the Chain of Survival. This chain consists of early recognition and activation of the emergency response system (calling 911), immediate high-quality CPR, rapid defibrillation, basic and advanced emergency medical services, and advanced life support and post-arrest care. The third and fourth steps were completed by the City of Bloomington Fire Department, specifically Engine 4 led by Captain Rick Knapp, and IU Emergency Medical Transport.
According to data obtained from the American Heart Association, survivability of a cardiac event is 10.6 percent and only 8.3 percent have good neurological function after going into full-arrest. Kelly Mullis, Director of Emergency Medical Transport Service in Bloomington, stated that every minute that goes by after a full-arrest has occurred, without proper CPR, reduces a person's chances of surviving by about 10 percent.
Bloomington is a proactive city focused on public safety, and to that end the Bloomington Fire Department has become a CPR training site and is launching a new initiative to train its citizens in lifesaving skills beginning with "Community CPR." Tania Daffron, Battalion Chief of Training for Bloomington Fire Department, has already taught five "Community CPR" classes, also known as Hands-Only CPR, and looks to build a cadre of instructors to spread the knowledge over the summer. According to Chief Daffron, "The positive impact of bystander CPR cannot be overstated. The first few minutes are critical in giving the victim of a sudden cardiac arrest the best chance to live." These classes will be offered for free and can be scheduled by contacting the Fire Department at 812-349-3896 or emailing Chief Daffron at daffrota@bloomington.in.gov.
A related collaborative project between IU Health and Monroe County Central Dispatch will leverage technology that allows members of the public to register themselves as CPR care providers in order to be notified if they are in close proximity to someone having a cardiac event.
Jason Moore, Fire Chief for the City of Bloomington, said the department is focused on improving public safety with innovative and collaborative approaches. Even with excellent response times by emergency personnel, immediate CPR from a bystander greatly improves the chances of someone surviving. By increasing the number of people trained in CPR and coupling that with technology designed to alert those with training, Bloomington has the ability to increase its survivability rate beyond the national average of 8 to 10 percent.
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