TITS & TATTS: A CPR FUNDRAISER
Practising for the people we may actually meet:
When you picture a CPR patient, who do you see?
For many people, the answer may be shaped by the manikins they learned on: light-skinned, flat-chested and largely unmarked. But a person needing CPR might have dark skin, breasts, a bra, piercings, tattoos or other features that aren’t represented on the equipment a student has practised with.
Those differences should never affect whether someone receives immediate, effective care. But they can affect what feels familiar to a bystander in a frightening moment.
At Emergency Edge First Aid, one of our goals is to make first aid and CPR training more representative of the people our students may actually encounter.
The gap between training and real life
Research has documented disparities in who receives bystander CPR. In one study, women experiencing cardiac arrest in public received bystander CPR less often than men: 39% compared with 45%. A study of more than 110,000 witnessed cardiac arrests found that, in public settings, Black and Hispanic people received CPR 45.6% of the time, compared with 60% for White people.
CPR training is part of the problem.
CPR training has a diversity problem. Training manikins are highly uniform. In an international survey, 55% of organizations reported using only white, male-presenting, flat-chested, lean manikins. Almost one in five reported simply putting a bra on a male presenting manikin to simulate a female patient.
These figures underline why representation in training matters. Students need the chance to practise with a range of bodies and learn to respond confidently, without letting unfamiliarity, stigma or fear get in the way. It isn't enough to talk about the differences we may face. The first time a CPR student encounters unfamiliar anatomy for the first time shouldn't be when a patient's life is actually on the line.
Meet the Tits and Tatts manikins
On Saturday, November 7, Emergency Edge First Aid will unveil a new fleet of CPR manikins at Tits and Tatts, a community fundraiser at the Summerland Youth Centre.
The manikins feature different skin tones and realistic breasts. Local artists specializing in decorative, cosmetic and paramedical tattooing have added tattoos and other details, helping each manikin look more like a real person.
This project is one small way to make human variation an ordinary part of CPR practice. We don’t want students to only hear that CPR is for everyone. We want them to build experience using their hands, seeing different bodies, and working through the practical questions that can arise when helping someone in an emergency.
Join us in Summerland:
Tits and Tatts runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Visitors can meet the manikins and join short workshops to practise CPR chest compressions and AED use for a minimum $5 donation.
There will also be a prize raffle, with prizes generously donated by a number of local businesses, including Detonate Brewing, Volcanic Hills Winery, Replenish Refillery & Zero Waste Store and Barber Bill's.
Event proceeds will support the Community Foundation of South Okanagan and Similkameen Wildfire Fund, helping the Summerland community recover from the recent devastating Bald Range wildfire.
Come meet the artists and manikins, try a workshop, and help us bring more people into the conversation about inclusive CPR training.
Tits and Tatts:
Saturday, November 7, 2026
10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Summerland Youth Centre
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