Shropshire Star

Restart a Heart: 1,000 Shropshire students taught CPR

More than 1,000 students were taught a lifesaving skill by volunteers visiting their school.

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Student Max Finazzi, 12, with Dave Fitton of Albrighton and Cosford First Responders

Community first responders, ambulance and NHS staff came together to mark Restart a Heart Day by teaching children how to do CPR.

More than 1,000 pupils in years seven to 11at Idsall School in Shifnal took part in the training during a visit by volunteers.

The Restart A Heart Day campaign is organised by the British Heart Foundation and Resuscitation Council.

The initiative aims to raise awareness of the importance of CPR, highlighting that if a person suffers an out of hospital cardiac arrest in the UK, they have less than a one in 10 chance of surviving.

When someone suffers a cardiac arrest they are clinically dead because the heart has stopped.

It should not be confused with a heart attack, in which the victim can remain conscious as they fall unwell.

The victim of a cardiac arrest has no heartbeat and has stopped breathing.

They will not recover unless someone is prepared to start CPR quickly.

And their chances of survival increase significantly if a defibrillator is attached to them to reset the heart.

Difference

Sally Wood, assistant headteacher at Idsall School, said the students were engaged with the lessons as they understand the importance of having the skills to perform CPR in the event of a friend or family member falling ill.

But the scale of the training given this week is way beyond anything attempted before by the school.

She said: “Idsall School is a keen supporter of this campaign, having offered CPR training to students in previous years.

“Last year we did the same thing on a smaller scale.

“This year we felt it was such an important life skill we wanted to broaden it out to include more students.

“More than1,000 students at the school have been trained.

“It’s a skill for life and can make a huge difference.

“The idea of this is to raise awareness and has been one way to raise awareness among the student body.”

CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, is a is an emergency procedure that combines chest compressions with artificial ventilation.

Combined with the use of a a defibrillator it can be effective in saving a life.