The deputy mayor of Madrid and head of Security and Emergencies, Inma Sanz, participated in a large-scale training session in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) organised by SAMUR-Protección Civil, the city’s extrahospital emergency service. The event took place at Plaza Mayor and involved 400 students from Educación Secundaria Obligatoria (ESO) and Formación Profesional (FP).
This initiative coincided with World Cardiac Arrest Day and aims to raise awareness about the importance of acting in the event of a sudden cardiac arrest. Under the slogan ‘400 students, 400 opportunities to save a life’, SAMUR-PC emphasised that learning how to respond to a cardiac arrest today could make the difference between life and death tomorrow.
The central message of the event was that saving a life is not solely the responsibility of healthcare professionals; it is a skill that all citizens can learn to take on. The goal extends beyond merely commemorating a global day; it is about training 400 individuals to recognise a cardiac arrest, call for help, initiate CPR, and use an automated external defibrillator (AED).
Each participant was provided with an individual mannequin to practice chest compressions. So far in 2026, SAMUR-PC has conducted 909 training sessions, involving 36,614 citizens, which is a 9.6% increase compared to the same period last year. In total, 43,268 citizens were trained in these CPR techniques throughout 2025. Additionally, nearly 2,000 people have completed the online course ‘You are also SAMUR-Protección Civil’.
