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EMS Week - Helping Kids save Lives

500 Grade 8 students are trained in CPR. The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, in partnership with Superior North Emergency Medical Service (EMS) made it easy for 500 Grade 8 students to learn Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) on May 18th at the Sports Dome.

Each student was given a Family and Friends CPR Kit which included a practice manikin, instructional DVD, student book, practice phone, spare lungs and manikin wipes. Superior North EMS Deputy Chief Wayne Gates said, "We walked all 500 kids through the program and they learned how to perform CPR. We challenged them to bring the kits home and teach their parents, siblings and friends how to perform CPR.” Gates went on to say, “Statistics show that only 1 out of 10 cardiac arrest patients have CPR being administered when paramedics arrive on scene. We are hoping that as the number of citizens who know CPR increases, more CPR will be started before paramedics arrive. The ultimate goal: more lives will be saved."

Through the generous support of the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Paterson Foundation, John Andrews Foundation, Fort William Rotary and City of Thunder Bay, every school in Thunder Bay is equipped with a life-saving Automated External Defibrillator (AED).

“We want our kids to be prepared and knowledgeable about the importance of CPR and how to use an AED,” says Wendy Savoy, Community Mission Specialist, Heart and Stroke Foundation. “The Heart and Stroke Foundation urges all Canadians to learn CPR.”

For every minute that passes without help, a person’s chance of surviving drops by 7% to 10%. Research indicates that having an AED at hand is imperative. When defibrillation is used in the first few minutes and in conjunction with CPR, an individual’s chance of survival can dramatically improve by up to 75%.

Message from Norm Gale, Chief of EMS, Superior North EMS

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