Award-winning Laois students are lifesavers
St Fergal's College students have received an award from the Irish Heart Foundation, after completing CPR training
A LAOIS secondary school has received a prestigious Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) award, for training students in potentially lifesaving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
St Fergal's College in Rathdowney received a CPR 4 Schools award, which recognises schools, teachers and students for their remarkable efforts in CPR promotion and training.
After the award was presented, St Fergal’s first year student Piotr Bialas said: "Every school should teach CPR - it's an essential life skill.” The Laois school was among 33 schools across Ireland presented with 63 awards, as part of the national heart and stroke charity’s CPR 4 Schools programme.
According to the IHF, 90% of secondary schools have engaged in the programme since it began, with 2,630 teachers involved across 649 schools to deliver CPR training, giving the programme a reach of over 350,000 students nationwide.
The charity is now calling on all schools to sign up to help build a new generation of lifesavers.
The programme trains students to perform CPR and respond in a cardiac emergency, how to use an AED (defibrillator) and how to respond when someone is choking.
The one-hour, video-led lessons are easy to run, fully supported with manikin kits and classroom resources. Schools benefit by awards recognising their participation and positive student engagement, while families and entire communities gain by having young people emerge as confident lifesavers.
IHF resuscitation manager Brigid Sinnott encouraged teachers to help students obtain essential lifesaving CPR skills.
She said: “We know that schools are extremely busy places, which makes us all the more blown away by the work and commitment they have put in to teach the lifesaving skill of CPR to date. Our mission is to build a nation of lifesavers through CPR training and schools are vital to help us achieve that.”
A person’s chance of survival is doubled when CPR is started immediately. By learning CPR once, people are 10 times more likely to respond to an emergency than someone who has never received training.
Post-primary school teachers interested in signing up for the free programme can register by emailing schools@irishheart.ie. To find out more about CPR 4 Schools, visit irishheart.ie/cpr4schools.
