If you blinked, you might have missed it: October 16 was World Restart a Heart Day, an international campaign led by resuscitation councils in the UK and the US that pushes one simple message: more bystanders trained in CPR means more lives saved. It’s not a Canadian-specific day, but Heart & Stroke Canada sits on the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR), the international body whose science underpins the CPR and first aid guidelines used across North America, so the message applies just as much here in New Brunswick.

And the numbers make the case better than we ever could. According to Heart & Stroke Canada, there are roughly 60,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests across the country every year, about one every nine minutes, and only around one in ten people survive. Bystander CPR rates vary widely by region, and in most public places, an AED gets used in only about 13 percent of cases where one might have helped. Those gaps aren’t about bad luck. They’re about how many of us, in the moment, aren’t sure what to do, or hesitate because we’re afraid of doing it wrong.

Here’s the reassuring part: current international guidance is clear that bystanders should start CPR on any adult who appears to be in cardiac arrest- unresponsive and not breathing normally – without worrying that they might hurt someone who turns out not to be in arrest. The risk of harm from unnecessary chest compressions is very low, and the risk of doing nothing is far higher. You don’t need to be a paramedic to make the difference between a family getting their person back and a tragedy. For an adult, that means recognizing the signs, calling 911, starting chest compressions, and using an AED if one is nearby, continuing until help arrives. (Infants and young children are a bit different; current guidance has rescue breaths playing a bigger role for them, which is exactly the kind of detail a proper course walks you through.)

Why fall specifically?

A few things line up this time of year that make CPR and first aid skills worth dusting off.

The days are getting shorter and colder, which means more of us are indoors, more time is spent around wood stoves and space heaters, and physical exertion in cold weather think hauling firewood or clearing the first wet snow puts extra strain on the heart. Cardiac events don’t wait for a convenient season, but cold weather is a known contributing factor.

At the same time, fall is prime season for deer and moose hunting across New Brunswick. That means more people heading into the woods, often alone or in pairs, well outside cell coverage and a long way from the nearest ambulance. (Check the Government of New Brunswick’s hunting regulations for this year’s exact zone-by-zone season dates before you head out.) If something goes wrong out there: a fall, a laceration, a cardiac event, or a vehicle or ATV mishap on a back road, the person with you is the only “first responder” you’ve got until paramedics can reach you, and that can take considerably longer in a rural or wooded area than it would in town. The same logic applies to anyone spending more time outdoors as hunting, firewood cutting, and fall property work pick up.

What you can actually do about it

You don’t need to memorize a textbook. A few practical habits go a long way:

Know the basics of recognizing cardiac arrest and starting hands-only CPR on an adult; this alone is one of the single most impactful skills an untrained bystander can learn. Keep a well-stocked first aid kit in the truck, the boat, and the hunting pack, not just at home. Tell someone your plan and expected return time before you head into the woods, and carry a way to call for help if your phone won’t have signal. And if it’s been a few years since your last certification, or you’ve never taken one, consider getting it done before the cold really sets in rather than after.

This is exactly the kind of preparedness AEMTS works with people and workplaces on throughout the year: CPR, Standard and Emergency First Aid, and higher-level EMR and First Responder training for those who want to go further. None of it requires a medical background to start, just a willingness to learn skills that, statistically, you are far more likely to use on a stranger, a coworker, or a family member than you’d think.

World Restart a Heart Day comes and goes every October, but the reason it exists doesn’t. Somewhere in New Brunswick this fall, someone’s survival will come down to whether the person standing next to them knew what to do in the first ninety seconds. Make sure that if it’s you, the answer is yes.

Interested in CPR or first aid training for yourself, your family, or your team? AEMTS offers courses throughout the Quispamsis–Saint John area and beyond reach out any time to find the right fit.