Tuesday 12th July 2011 - Published by Lara Page - Account Manager
Lifesaving Gift for Schools
Four companies have teamed up to help save the lives of young people, through a unique free giveaway of lifesaving equipment.
Every week, 12 young people die from a sudden cardiac arrest*, and now, 24 schools are being offered free defibrillators, which can help save lives. Four firms – Imperative Training, Defibshop, Laerdal and Philips – aim to train 700 children and 144 teachers on how to use the kit, as part of their Hand on Heart campaign.
David Howarth, from Imperative Training, said: “We believe the Hand on Heart campaign is a very powerful way of raising awareness to the problem of cardiac arrest in the young, but also a way of doing something positive about it by providing life saving solutions into schools.”
For every minute that someone is in cardiac arrest, their chance of survival drops by about 10 per cent**. Using a defibrillator increases the chances of a victim's survival rises to approximately 78 per cent***.
Under the scheme, schools can apply for a grant for a free defibrillator, or they can partner with a local business to sponsor the school. Schools can be nominated, through people submitting a 400 words or less explanation as to why the school should have a defibrillator via the website www.handonheart.org. Two winning schools will be selected from the nominations each month.
Debbie Woodcock, first aider from Cheadle Hulme School, which won a defibrillator in May, said: “Cheadle Hulme School has 1,400 pupils, ranging from the age of four to 18-years-old. We also have almost 250 staff plus a large number of visitors, particularly at our regular sports fixtures, which made me feel there is a valid case for having this equipment on site.
“I believe having a defibrillator could greatly improve a person’s chance of survival should they be unfortunate to suffer with a cardiac problem, and it will be reassuring to know we can react positively should anyone need it”, she added.
For more information about the Hand on Heart campaign contact Gina Harris on 0845 071 0830 or visit the website www.handonheart.org
Paula Leech Sales Director, David Howarth Managing Director Gina Harris Hand on Heart Project Manager - showing the winning pac
