Students from St Joseph's learn to save lives

Since 2014, the school community at St Joseph’s Primary School, Denman, have been making CPR lessons for Years 3 to 6 a priority.

We see this as a vital skill that students must have in case of an emergency.

Mrs Helen Notley from the Royal Surf Life Saving association visited St Joseph’s during Term 2 to teach the students basic resuscitation skills.

We do this, as we see this is ‘real education’ that could become a lifesaving skill for our students.

Research from Flinders University (2013) states that, “Bystander CPR actually improves the patient’s life. The premise that doing something - even if it is not perfect - is better than doing nothing when it comes to resuscitation.”

During the lesson Mrs Notley taught the students the same DRSABC CPR principals as adults, which are:

  • Danger – ensure the area is safe for yourself, others and the patient
  • Response – check for response
  • Sending for help – call triple zero (000) for an ambulance or ask another person to make the call
  • Airway – open mouth, if foreign material present, place in recovery position and clear airways with fingers
  • Breathing – check for breathing, if the breathing is not normal, start CPR
  • Compressions - Press midway along the ribcage. Aim for 30 compressions followed by two breaths.

The students were engaged in this session and understood the importance of learning this skill effectively.

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Aaron Moon Image
Aaron Moon

Aaron Moon is the Principal of St James' Primary School, Muswellbrook.