Dubuque Fire Department efforts to improve cardiac survival rates

May 17, 2019

May 19 - 25, 2019 is the 45th annual National EMS Week.  The Dubuque Fire Department is reminding residents that heart disease is the number one killer of men and women, affecting 1 in 4 Americans.  When an individual goes into cardiac arrest at home or in a public area, their chances of surviving is approximately 10% nationwide.  The number one life-saving need for these individuals is early Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and application of an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) as soon as possible.  For every minute a person remains pulseless (without a heartbeat or breathing), their overall survivability goes down 10%.  Our goal at the Dubuque Fire Department is to teach people in the community "hands-only CPR" and how to use an AED properly.  The combination of these skills will drastically increase the chances of survivability.  

Recently, the Dubuque Fire Department has implemented new advanced cardiac arrest care techniques.  Over the last six months several members of our staff have attended multiple cardiac arrest conferences to learn the best techniques and skills fro around the country.  This training is part of our effort to increase the local cardiac arrest survival rate from 15%-20% to at least 50%-60%.  Your Dubuque Fire Ambulance personnel worked with our medical director to build a "bundle of care" and "wheel of life" package.  These treatment advances result in higher quality CPR, quick and efficient defibrillation, improved airway devices and more efficient use of cardiac arrest medications.

Our goal is that sudden cardiac arrest is no longer the leading killer of individuals.  We will continue to adopt new treatments and practices that give our community and its visitors the best chance for survival.  When you or someone around you needs help, dialing 911 gets help to you fast.  Whether you need help from the floor, you are injured or you are having a medical emergency ALWAYS CALL 911. 

For more information, please contact the Dubuque Fire Department at 563-589-4160.

Please do not reply to this message. For incident-specific information, please contact the staff identified in the message above.
For general fire and emergency medical services information, visit www.cityofdubuque.org/fire or contact the Dubuque Fire Department at 563.589.4160 or fire@cityofdubuque.org. 

In an emergency, always call 9-1-1. For non-emergency dispatch, call 563.589.4415.