Wednesday 3rd July 2013 – 3.15pm – Suzie Fothergill.
Representatives from West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) have visited Burton and South Derbyshire College (BSDC) to award and thank students for helping to save lives within the community.
As part of their Public Service course, 38 students based at the College in Burton-upon-Trent have helped to assist WMAS with their lifesaving Staffordshire HeartStart project.
The project, which commenced in April 2012, aims to train 60,000 members of Staffordshire public in CPR and basic lifesaving first aid techniques over five years. So far approximately 9,500 people within the County have been trained in the free two-hour course, which is aimed at anyone ten years of age and over.
The Public Service students at the College have been fully engaged with the HeartStart project. All of the students undertook the lifesaving course and later helped to promote the courses within the community at a variety of venues, such as supermarkets, where they were able to highlight the benefits of having such skills.
Ten of the students also took the plunge and became HeartStart instructors and assisted the ambulance service in training over 500 people. This included running courses within the College itself, as well as assisting to deliver the course to a number of pupils at schools local to Burton.
At a certificate presentation, WMAS Community Response Manager, Matt Heward said: “The students have all done an excellent job assisting with the project. Not only do they now all have the skills and ability to potentially save a life themselves, but they have also helped to substantially increase the number of people within Burton that have acquired these skills.
“Burton has always been a very challenging area with regards to community engagement, so if just one life is saved as a result of their hard work, enthusiasm and dedication then that’s great news for the community.”
Robert Stevenson, BSDC Course Leader added: “As a Public Service course, it has been very exciting to work with West Midlands Ambulance Service. We are looking forward to introducing our new Public Service learners to the HeartStart scheme from this September, and to further growing the links that our current learners have created in the local area.”
For more information about HeartStart or to book on to a free HeartStart course please visit http://www.wmas.nhs.uk/Pages/HeartStart.aspx or contact the team via heartstartstaffordshire@wmas.nhs.uk or call 01785 23734.
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Pictured: WMAS Respresentatives with Students and Lecturers from the college.