Staff at Hertfordshire School trained to use life-saving device

A life-saving awareness session for teachers at a Rickmansworth school has been hailed a ‘great success’.

Run by the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) the session involved 25 staff from St Marys Primary School including Headmaster Aaron Wanford yesterday (Monday, 4^th January).

It included hands-on practice with a defibrillator on an ‘Annie’ mannequin followed by a questions and answer session.

Simon Marshall, a community partnership training officer for EEAST, helped deliver the training. He said: “The staff had lots of questions and were keen to use the defibrillator; after completing their training they all said they felt much more confident in being able to deal with a situation using this equipment.”

The Trust has placed defibrillators in locations such as churches, leisure centres, schools or golf courses where they are easily accessible and can be of most benefit to local communities to help to save more lives.

Steven Catley, EEAST Community Partnership Manager for Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, said: “I’m delighted to see a large turnout for an event such as this. Defibrillators can make the vital difference when a person goes into cardiac arrest and sessions like this provide the basic training required. Knowing how to use one helps save lives and by attending sessions that we at EEAST hold gives people the confidence and knowledge they need should they have to use it.”

For more information visit www.eastamb.nhs.uk

For more information becoming a CFR, visit: http://www.eastamb.nhs.uk/get-involved/community-first-responders.htm