Nearly 800 students at Southold and Greenport schools were given Hands-Only CPR training earlier this month thanks to the Southold Fire Department American Heart Association Training Center.
SFD-AHA Training Center coordinator and EMT Chris Manfredi assisted physical education teachers at both schools to instruct students in Hands-Only CPR, using an automatic external defibrillation (AED) and assisting a choking victim.
The Southold Fire Department started their own center in 2014 to train local fire departments, EMTs, doctors and nurses in first aid and CPR. They have been providing instruction to local schools for the past three years.
“We give the teachers the equipment and some basic training in how to do the class,” said Manfredi. “We get them set up and they just take it from there.”
In order to teach a Hands-Only CPR class one is required to be CPR certified, which all of the physical education staff already are, he said.
The training uses lectures, video and hands on instruction and is done during gym class. Students are taught how to recognize the need for CPR and the steps to be taken to assist someone.
At Greenport School, Andrea Manfredi, Nicholas Fioretti and Cindy Sepenoski provided the training for 386 students. At Southold School, Jeff Ellis, Linda Renaldo and Lori Marra trained 420 students.
In October 2014, a law was passed requiring that all students in grades seven through 12 receive Hands-Only CPR training prior to graduation.
“Students who feel more comfortable doing CPR are more likely to get involved during an emergency,” said Manfredi.
According to the American Heart Association, immediate CPR can double or even triple a person’s chance of survival.
If you are interested in learning CPR, there will be a Basic Life Support CPR course offered at the Peconic Recreation Center on Saturday June 10 from 8 a.m. – noon.
Contact Janet Douglass at 631-765-5182 for information.
