Tualatin Valley's Partnership with Valley Catholic School Promotes Hands-only CPR

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On Monday, November 21, 2011 Fire Chief Mike Duyck and firefighters from Beaverton Station 67 kicked off a campaign to promote hands-only CPR. More than 100 CPR kits were distributed to the school's 8th grade students  who will teach the life-saving skill to over 500 family, friends, and community members  over the Thanksgiving weekend. The students also plan to continue teaching the greater Beaverton community throughout the school year, including Beaverton's Mayor Denny Doyle and the other members of City Council.

Valley Catholic principal Jennifer Gfroerer states, "The students are very excited and honored to be chosen for this pilot program. Partnering with TVF&R provides our students with lifesaving skills, while encouraging them to reach out and serve their community." 

The program is the first of its kind in Oregon between a fire department and school.  Chief Mike Duyck wants this model to spread, stating, "We are thrilled about this partnership and the prospect of saving even more lives. Our department responds to over 1,800 cardiac events each year and having someone ready and willing to initiate CPR before our paramedics arrive, can mean the difference between life and death for a patient."

Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue hopes to replicate this program in middle schools throughout its entire service area.

Valley Catholic students will be using the American Heart Association's Family & Friends® CPR Anytime® Kit which includes a short instructional DVD and a mini, blow-up resuci-annie to teach Hands-Only CPR. "We are thrilled to help Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue provide this life-saving skill to students," said Maria Sweeten, the American Heart Association's Community CPR Manager. With 80 percent of cardiac arrests occurring at home, the life they save could likely be someone they love." Several years ago the AHA acknowledged that Hands-Only CPR—pressing hard and fast on a victim's chest until paramedics arrive—works just as well as traditional CPR for adults in sudden cardiac arrest.

Republished with permission of the Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue Department. View original article here.



Author:Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue