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MWHS Students, Staff Trained in Life-Saving Techniques at Heart Safe Communities Event
Click the above image to view more photos from the Jan. 30 Heart Safe Communities training at Mound Westonka High School
January 30, 2020 — There are 1,000 more Westonka community members trained to save lives in the event of an emergency thanks to an all-school CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) training Jan. 30 at Mound Westonka High School.
The morning training was part of the Heart Safe Communities initiative, a nationwide effort to prevent death from sudden cardiac arrest. The event was made possible through the collaborative efforts of the Westonka School District, the Orono Police Department, the Minnetrista Police Department, the Long Lake Fire Department, the Excelsior Fire Department, the St. Bonifacius Fire Department, the Mound Fire Department, Advanced First Aid, Minnesota SCA Survivor Network, Hennepin County Medical Center and Ridgeview Medical Center. All MWHS students, grades 8-12, and staff were trained in CPR and AED use during the two-hour event.
“There are almost 400,000 people who suffer cardiac arrest every year,” said MWHS physical education and health teacher John Wardlow, who helped to coordinate the event. “Of those who experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital setting, without receiving CPR, only about 10 percent survive. For those who receive early intervention of CPR or AED, it can double or even triple their chance of survival.”
“We have an awesome student body, and they are the ones that are out and about in the community,” Wardlow added. “I couldn't think of better candidates to know CPR than the young people in our community.”
The event started in the high school gym, where the student body welcomed over 50 volunteers from local police and fire departments and medical centers. Following a brief introduction, participants separated into groups and rotated through three stations.
At the gym station, MWHS students and staff were instructed in hands-only CPR, using hundreds of inflatable manikins. Participants learned that pushing hard and fast in the center of a person's chest following sudden cardiac arrest can help them stay alive until help arrives. To help keep the rhythm of compressions, the loudspeakers blasted the 1970s Bee Gees classic “Stayin’ Alive.”
A 20-minute, hands-on AED training took place in the cafeteria. In groups of 10, participants learned from a first responder or medical professional the proper way to use AED machines, which are located in each Westonka school building and around the community.
The most powerful segment of the school-wide training was a presentation in the Westonka Performing Arts Center by members of the Survivor Network. Each speaker was a survivor of cardiac arrest as a result of early intervention CPR/AED.
“These stories helped our students and staff to really personalize the importance of knowing these skills and illustrate the importance of responding in an emergency situation,” said Wardlow. “It also showed the students that anyone can suffer from cardiac arrest—any age, gender or fitness level.”
Event organizers explained that the goal of the training was to empower young people to take on a leadership role in an emergency and have the confidence to respond immediately to a cardiac emergency.
“The more people who know CPR/AED skills, the safer a community becomes,” said Wardlow. “This training will help our community truly become a ‘heart safe’ place to live.”
Watch a KSTP-TV feature on the MWHS Heart Safe training