CPR training creates hundreds of young lifesavers

More than 350 local students have received life-saving CPR training during this year’s World Restart a Heart Day, thanks to the Academy of First Aid.

First Aid Trainers taught CPR on inflatable training manikins to 179 pupils from the Friary School in Lichfield and 197 children from St. Peter’s Primary School in Stonnall.

Fifty pupils at a time were taught how to identify when CPR was required and the correct techniques and speed to administer it, all while sat in the formation of a heart shape. Each pupil received a certificate to say they had completed the training.

On taking part in the CPR training, George, a year 9 student from the Friary School said: “I thought the training was really interesting. I think it’s definitely given me the confidence to know how to react and it’s something I’ll remember for the future if I’m ever faced with an emergency. I would definitely recommend it to my friends because if it can increase the number of people that survive a cardiac arrest and save lives, then it’s worth it.”

World Restart a Heart Day (Tuesday 16 October), aims to teach 200,000 people what to do when someone has a cardiac arrest. It is organised by a number of charities and organisations including the Resuscitation Council and the British Heart Foundation.

Every year more than 30,000 people have a cardiac arrest outside of hospital. In the UK, the survival rate is less than 1 in 10 but countries where first aid is taught as part of the school curriculum this figure rises to 4 in 10.

Karen Bird, Head of First Aid Training at BB Training Academy, which runs the Academy of First Aid, said: “When someone goes into cardiac arrest every second counts. This campaign is so important because it crucially gives hundreds of young people the knowledge to provide treatment in emergency situations.

“The figures for rates of survival paint a sad picture of how life threatening a cardiac arrest is and we want to train as many people as we can to increase this number. Our aim is to give these young people the knowledge and confidence to react quickly and give people the best chance to recover.”

The Academy of First Aid is part of BB Training Academy, an Ofsted Outstanding national training provider delivering apprenticeships and CPD courses to the care, health and early years sectors.