Marin County residents can learn lifesaving skills during the annual Sidewalk CPR event on Saturday.
The free countywide event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 13 outdoor locations. Participants will learn from emergency medical services professionals about how to respond to medical emergencies on their own, before the ambulance arrives.
“It only takes a few minutes to learn how to save a life,” said Christian Lombard, an EMS specialist with Marin County. “Building a community of people who know what to do in an emergency can help keep a neighbor, friend or loved one alive.”
The event is organized by Marin County Health and Human Services and the Marin County EMS Agency in partnership with local fire agencies, hospitals and community emergency response organizations.
Training will include hands-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, which uses chest compressions to help sustain a person experiencing cardiac arrest.
“Building a community of people who know what to do in an emergency can help keep a neighbor, friend or loved one alive.”
Christian Lombard, EMS specialist
They will learn how to use an automated external defibrillator, which is often found publicly in airports, schools, sports venues and retail centers. If the heart stops beating right, the machine can give a safe electric shock to help it start again.
Participants will also learn professional techniques to control severe bleeding and how to administer naloxone, which can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
Training sites are Corte Madera Town Center; Fairfax Bolinas Park; Bon Air Shopping Center in Greenbrae; Marin Country Mart at Larkspur Landing; Target in Marin City; The Depot in Mill Valley; the Muir Beach parking lot; Vintage Oaks Shopping Center near Target in Novato; Toby’s Feed Barn in Point Reyes Station; Montecito Plaza in San Rafael; the Sausalito Ferry Terminal; Stinson Beach Village Green; and the Angel Island Ferry Terminal in Tiburon.
For disability accommodations, people can call 415-473-6358 ahead of the event, and the county will do its best to fulfill requests.
