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Surrey schools to train students CPR

10 schools in the district to teach CPR every year

While holding CPR mannequins, a group of Grade 10 Tamanawis Secondary students said – without hesitation – that they could save a life if they were called to action.

That level of confidence and training is what the Advanced Coronary Treatment (ACT) Foundation wants to spread across the province, and country.

Thursday, ACT and its partners launched the High School CPR and Defibrillator Training Program in 10 Surrey public secondary schools. More than 3,000 Surrey students will learn the lifesaving skill every year.

The ultimate goal of the program, ACT executive director Sandra Clarke told Peace Arch News at Tamanawis, is to train every Canadian high school student life-saving CPR skills.

So far in British Columbia, more than 506,000 youth have been trained in the program; 242 schools have established a CPR program; 1,300 teachers have been trained as CPR instructors and 45,800 students are trained in CPR by their secondary school teacher every year.

“The ACT foundation’s goal is to see all young people graduate from secondary school with the skills and knowledge to save a life,” Clarke said.

“We’re fundraising to put defibrillator training units and CPR training manikins into the schools so the schools can train the students.”

As recently as last week, Clarke said, the training saved someone’s life.

Clarke pointed to Oliver, B.C., where two high school teachers are being credited with saving the life of a Grade 8 student.

The student went into cardiac arrest during gym class.

Clarke said Southern Okanagan Secondary School had received training from ACT prior to the incident.

Thursday, Tamanawis secondary students gave Surrey-Newton MLA Harry Bains a rundown on how to give CPR, though he told the crowd before hand that he was previously trained years ago.

Bains told the students that he believes every person should receive CPR training, but he hopes that none of the students will have to use it in a real-life scenario.

“I could not be happier to see the ACT Foundation teaching young British Columbians skills that can save lives,” Bains said.

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Surrey-Newton MLA Harry Bains gives CPR to a manikin at Tamanawis Secondary Thursday afternoon. (Aaron Hinks photo)
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A group of Tamanawis Secondary students, who all have been trained in CPR, gather for a photo Thursday at the school. (Aaron Hinks photo)


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