Every week in Scotland 70 people have a cardiac arrest – the equivalent of a full double decker bus.

A cardiac arrest happens when the heart suddenly stops pumping blood around the body and the person suddenly loses consciousness and stops breathing or stops breathing normally. It can happen to anyone at any time.

Now a campaign is hoping to get even more Dumbarton and the Vale residents to learn CPR skills and use them.

Doing CPR buys time for the ambulance to arrive and can double the chances of someone surviving, so Save a Life For Scotland is asking everyone to get CPR ready.

Surveys indicate there are key barriers to delivering CPR, in particular fear of “doing it wrong”.

Researchers were told: “My biggest worry is that I would be doing it incorrectly, and could do more harm than good.”

Another person said they would “check breathing, check they haven’t swallowed their tongue, and call an ambulance but I would be afraid to do anything else”.

But the reality is the situation cannot get worse for someone minutes from death. A new film with Carol Smillie has been launched this week to combat that public fear of trying CPR.

James Cant, director at British Heart Foundation Scotland, said: “When someone has a cardiac arrest their chances of survival decrease with every passing minute.

“After even a few minutes, if nobody has attempted CPR it is too late – but you can help.

“It’s vital that people know what to do. This includes calling 999 immediately, performing CPR and being able to access and use a defibrillator as soon as possible.

“This new film shows us that everyone should give CPR a go. We all have it in us to be life savers and it could be the life of a loved one that you save, as most cardiac arrests occur in the home.

“I’d urge everyone to spend a couple of minutes watching this film, as it could make the difference between life or death.”

The new 500 Times film and #AnyCPR has been created to highlight that CPR is easier than you think and any CPR is better than no CPR.

Key points to remember: – If someone collapses and is not breathing, call 999 and then shout for help.

– Clasp your hands together, lock your fingers, knuckles up, lock your elbows and keep your arms straight.

– Begin hands only CPR, pushing down hard to the beat of ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’ on the centre of the person’s chest.

– Keep going until ambulance arrives.

– Remember don’t delay.

Watch the film at savealife.scot.