Superior Fire Teaches CPR To Students
SUPERIOR, Wis. – “It’s really the important age of when they start getting the motor skills and the intellectual ability to offer aid to someone more than just calling 911. At an early age we can teach kids how to call 911 when they need that, but at this age we can actually start having interventions to actually help the person that’s having a medical emergency,” Superior Fire Department Fire Chief, Camron Vollbrecht says.
Over at Superior Middle School on Monday, 7th grade students received a visit from the Superior Fire Department, giving them a firsthand experience on how to properly conduct hands only CPR and use an AED for health emergencies.
“It’s going to take three to five minutes for a firefighter or a first responder to show up at their house. So, in that meantime, the person if they’re having a cardiac episode is not getting blood flow or oxygen to the brain. So, having early CPR, getting the blood moving through the body is going to be beneficial in the long run for the survivability and viability of that person,” Vollbrecht says.
This program is part of the 7th grade health class’s Heart, Health, and Safety Week. The class started the year learning about topics like mental health, nutrition, and disease. Now in the CPR and AED unit, Health class staff say learning about the topic in a hands-on format is optimal for those emergency relevant skills to sink in.
“I think that it is really important that the Superior Fire Department did come in because they [Students] get learning from us health teachers all day long and it’s nice to have like different faces in the community to come into the school to show that support and teach the students,” Superior Middle School 7th Grade Health Teacher, Maura Halverson says.
“Having that tactical experience in here where they actually put hands on a mannequin and have actually done those compressions at the timing and the depth rate is really important that they’ll bring that skill forward,” Vollbrecht says.
The Superior Fire Chief says having these visits with students isn’t just beneficial for the kids, but Fire Department staff as well.
“It’s good in a lot of different regards for us. First of all, it’s just getting to know our kids having experience with a firefighter being around, so they are not afraid or intimidated if a firefighter shows up at their house. The students having ability to give CPR prior to our arrival so it’s easier for us when we show up for that patient, we’re not starting from zero at that point, they’ve had some perfusion going on. And for us as firefighters, just meeting kids. They may be the future; they may be working for us someday,” Vollbrecht says.
The Superior Fire Department worked with around 300 students on Monday, adding to the almost 7 thousand that have gone through the program since it began 6 years ago.
