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Brampton students get lessons in saving lives
Today, every student at Cardinal Leger Secondary School in Brampton learned how to perform CPR.
They really are setting a good example because when you look at the numbers, not many people are willing, or able to perform CPR. Last year in Peel, bystanders only took action in about 35 per cent of cases.
Performing proper CPR and using a defibrillator can increase someone’s chance of survival by 75 per cent. But most people don’t know how, or are afraid they’ll hurt the person.
As Peel paramedic Brad Bowie explains, “The person’s already dead, so you’re not going to do any more damage. You’re going to actually try to save a life.”
That’s the reason for Cardinal Leger Secondary School’s annual CPR day. Since 7:00 am, students have been coming down to the gym for training. By the end of the day, 1100 kids will be fully trained in CPR.
The student-led sessions teach hands-only CPR. Healthcare student Theresa Shuma explains the procedure.
“We check for the heartbeat, the pulse, and we make sure the person is not breathing and then we call 911.”
To perform CPR, interlock your fingers in the centre of the chest, approximately where the heart is. Push down hard and fast, about 2 inches into the chest, 100 times per minute. Try singing the Bee Gees’ “Staying Alive” in your head to set the pace.
“You get tired after a while, but I guess in real life, you’d be determined to keep the person alive.”
A public access defibrillator, combined with CPR is a potential lifesaver. The more people who know how to use them, the better.
CPR day organizer Lorna Connoy has a goal: “I’m hoping that after four years, because they’re going to be trained in grade 9, grade 10, grade 11 and grade 12, the goal is if and when they ever needed to do CPR they’d know what to do and be able to save a life.”
Adds Bowie: “The science has shown that the more you teach them repetitively, it’s a skill that will stay with them.”
Using chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth is ideal, but if you don’t know the victim, you may be wary of breathing for them. If you’re ever in a situation where you might need to perform CPR, something is better than nothing.
