CPR › 

With generous funding from the FDNY Foundation and its partners, the Fire Department offers free hands-only CPR classes. The goal of these classes is to equip New Yorkers with the basic skills needed to take action in the event of a cardiac arrest emergency.

Early CPR and the use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) have been shown to dramatically increase the chance of survival in victims who experience sudden cardiac arrest. The first few minutes after a person goes into cardiac arrest are the most critical. Bystanders who witness or encounter a person in cardiac arrest are the ones who can maintain blood flow to the vital organs by performing chest compressions, improving a person’s chances of survival.

Hands-Only CPR involves pressing on a cardiac arrest victim’s chest without performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

The FDNY currently offers two programs that provide hands-only CPR training (please note, the FDNY does not offer CPR certification):

 

• FDNY Free CPR Program
• FDNY Teens Take Heart CPR Program

FDNY CPR classes are taught by certified and highly trained FDNY EMS members. The FDNY Mobile CPR Unit was created in 2006 by Chief John McFarland as a response to the change in the American Heart Association’s CPR guidelines for the lay rescuer. Since then, the Unit has successfully trained thousands of New Yorkers in hands-only CPR.