Starting this month, Santa Barbara County Emergency Medical Services, the Santa Barbara City Fire Department and American Medical Response have scheduled the first in a series of free business and community trainings in “hands-only” CPR.

This pilot public health program is designed to increase the survival rate of cardiac victims. This partnership encourages local businesses throughout the greater Santa Barbara area to participate by committing to have 80 percent of their staff trained at free training events and by special arrangement.

Training takes just minutes to complete. Businesses, nonprofits and agencies that complete training for 80 percent of their employees will be as designated “Hands Helping Hearts” organizations.

Training sessions will be held from noon to 2 p.m. this Friday, March 30 at Paseo Nuevo Shopping Center, and from noon to 2 p.m. Friday, April 13 at La Cumbre Plaza.

For more information or to sign up for a training session, click here or call 805.681.4373.

“Hands-only” CPR, chest compressions without mouth-to-mouth breathing, has been proven to be as effective as standard CPR. The earlier CPR is started, the better the outcome for the victim. As bystanders are more likely to do hands-only CPR, effective bystander CPR provided immediately after sudden cardiac arrest can nearly triple a victim’s chance of survival.

— Juliana Minsky is a publicist.