CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- On Thursday morning in the library of L.C. Bird High School, students demonstrated the kind of hands-on lesson you can’t always get from reading a book.
Under the guidance of Physical Education Department Head Crystal Barker, these students spent several minutes pumping the chests of the high school’s newly donated CPR mannequins to demonstrate that they had the skills that may one day save someone's life.
“I can tell you that I had a family member that I dearly loved that this occurred and they got to stay with me for eight more years because of it,” Crystal Barker said to her students. “It’s something that could change your life, somebody else’s life, or a stranger's life.”
The CPR demonstration was made possible thanks to the donation of more than 140 American Heart Association (AHA) CPR kits by Richmond-based pharmaceutical manufacturer Phlow Corporation.
Phlow’s CEO Eric Edwards says he understands the importance of making sure the community is equipped with the knowledge to properly administer CPR through his work as a volunteer Chesterfield Paramedic.
“It’s the first line of defense and the first line of treatment that we have to prevent death. Getting those hands on the chest and having high-quality CPR performed until definitive care can arrive,” said Edwards. “In a community setting, disaster can strike anywhere.
Each kit contains a blow-up CPR mannequin, CPR DVD, and other instructional materials. Edwards believes the brand new equipment is essential to ensuring that students are taught properly.
“You just don’t know when it comes to a cardiovascular disease or a stroke when you might be called upon to act in an emergency,” said Edwards. “It can happen in a school, or at a restaurant, or in a football field so having the community equipped to able to to jump in, take action, call 911, and perform that life-saving skill can save lives.”
It is a statewide requirement for all graduating seniors to be certified in the use of CPR. The CPR certification is conducted as part of a school division’s Physical Education curriculum.
AHA School Engagement Director Savannah Beatley says the donation goes hand in hand with the nonprofit’s mission to promote heart health and safety in schools.
“Actually having a mannequin for the students for the students to practice on really helps simulate a real life experience and provides them with the knowledge and the power to save a life if a situation were to occur,” said Beatley.
“Our family is just humbled and honored to help the American Heart Association and to provide kits for these schools that will provide kits for these schools that help train the next generation of lifesavers through hands-only CPR training,” said Edwards. “When it comes to sudden cardiac arrest it’s not just minutes that matter, it’s seconds that matter.”
Barker believes those seconds also save time in the classroom.
“To be able to have 12, 24 students at a time working together for hands-on changes the instructional time it changes the way we’re able to deliver the lesson— It’s just invaluable, that resource,” said Barker. “Many of them have already experienced something where maybe they felt helpless or they were able to help and this just gives them more knowledge and knowledge is power.”
L.C. Bird Principal Adrienne Blanton says the 140 kits will be distributed countywide to the Chesterfield schools with the greatest need. The influx of equipment means the need to share equipment will be significantly reduced which makes teaching more efficient.
“With a school with over 2,200 students we are thankful to have so many mannequins that our students can work with," Blanton said. “The more they do it, the more likely they are to use it in an emergency situation— and I want them to be ready.
“It’s absolutely just pride to know that when you give them that knowledge, they’re ready to perform," said Barker.
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