Ambulance service teach valuable lifesaving skills to students in Wadebridge
Students and staff at Wadebridge School in Cornwall are now equipped with essential lifesaving skills, thanks to a recent training session led by the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT).
The hands-on session, delivered by a team of SWASFT’s Community First Responders (CFRs), provided CPR and defibrillator training to 189 year 9 students, aged 13 to 14, along with 25 members of staff. Participants learned how to recognise a cardiac arrest, perform effective chest compressions, and use an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).
The initiative is part of SWASFT’s ongoing efforts to raise public awareness about lifesaving techniques and empower young people to respond confidently in emergency medical situations.
Andrew Collins, Community Engagement and Training Officer at SWASFT said: “We’re incredibly proud to have worked with Wadebridge School to ensure their students are equipped with the skills that could one day, help save someone’s life.
“We want people of all ages in our communities to know what to do if someone suffers a cardiac arrest, and to know how to perform CPR correctly. The sooner CPR is started the greater chance someone has of survival. By providing training opportunities like these, especially with younger people we aim to strengthen the chain of survival within our communities and inspire confidence in recognising and responding to cardiac arrests.”
According to the British Heart Foundation, a person’s chance of survival decreases by 10% for every minute without CPR or defibrillation. SWASFT’s initiative to train young people directly addresses this urgent need, creating a ripple effect of lifesaving knowledge across local communities.
Mat Winzor, Headteacher at Wadebridge School said: “I’d like to extend my thanks to the SWASFT team for giving up their time to deliver such an engaging day for our year 9 cohort. It is rare in schools that we educate our students and upskill them with the knowledge and skills we hope they will never need to use. However, as a community, it brings us a lot of confidence that another 200 members of our school and wider community are upskilled in the necessary skills should they ever need to support in a situation until the emergency services arrive.
“The team of SWASFT Community First Responders’ confidence in delivery and manner in which they engaged with and inspired our students was fantastic and we look forward to rolling out the initiative with other year groups later in the year.”
SWASFT benefits from a network of volunteer Community First Responders who selflessly give their spare time to deliver CPR training such as this, as well as provide emergency care within their local and often, rural communities.
For more information about Community First Responders or CPR training, please visit: https://www.swast.nhs.uk/community-first-responders