Knowing CPR is important, knowing First Aid is 10 times as important. You are going to save a lot of folks with basic First Aid. You are going to save very few with CPR.

I, unfortunately, have been in the professional position of deciding that efforts at resuscitation were futile with victims in the woods. When you consider transport time out of the woods, how long it's going to take to get the help to transport, and how long the victim was already down.....most heart attack victims with no heart/lung function are going to die in the woods. Same with trauma victims with no life supporting function.

The most important thing to remember in a heart attack situation is to get Advanced Life Support assistance IMMEDIATELY. Even if it means leaving the victim to run for a phone. The sooner the victim gets PROPER airway assistance and diffibrillation the better. This means calling an ambulance PRONTO. If one bystander knows CPR and another can call, then by all means start CPR. The MOST important thing is getting professional help immediately.