![More than 30 students from Springhill Jr. Sr. High volunteered to learn how to perform CPR from Judy Black, resuscitation programs manager for the Heart and Stroke Foundation Nova Scotia chapter. The training compliment an automated electronic defibrillator [AED] the school received Tuesday.](/media/photos/unis/2012/11/20/photo_2220724_resize.jpg)
SPRINGHILL – High school can be a charged atmosphere and a recent presentation to the school offers life support should the spark of life ever be threatened.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Restart a Heart, Restart a Life campaign provided the school with an automated electronic defibrillator AED through the sponsored of the Frank and Irene Sobey Memorial Trust and the Aberdeen Health Foundation, which have a target to supply 15 schools in the region with AEDs.
Springhill High received their AED Tuesday, as part of CMR awareness month. “November is CPR awareness month, so it’s really quite fabulous we’re here to offer the AED,” said Judy Black, resuscitation programs manager for the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s provincial chapter. “Anybody can rip it off the wall and use it to save a life. Hopefully none of you will ever need to use it but know that you increase survivability by 70 per cent if you perform CPR with an AED.”
Receiving the AED, Choisnet said, helps parents rest easy one more tool is at the school’s disposal to help save a life.
Use of the AED and CPR was demonstrated by Springhill paramedics Jeff Aucoin and Mike Kemsley, along with community relations paramedic Mike Janczyszyn. The paramedics commenced chest compressions on a dummy while Janczyszyn turned on the AED and followed the automated directions. As the first rep of 30 compressions came to an end, the AED was ready to be used.
Following the demonstration, 35 students received CPR training and a family learning kit. The training was conducted by Black, who challenged the students to use the kits to teach family and friends what to do when someone requires CPR.
To date, the Restart campaign has funded 48 AEDs through the sponsorship of the Frank and Irene Sobey Memorial Trust and the Aberdeen Health Foundation and continue to accept applicants. The program looks for schools and not-for-profit organizations with facilities used by the public to equip with AEDs, communications manager Jolene Titus-Roberts with the Heart and Stroke Foundation said.
