ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Ninth and 11th graders at Evans High School got the chance to get out of the classroom on Thursday and instead of hitting the books, they hit the floor.
With the help of Orange County Firefighters and medical staff, students were able to learn hands-only CPR training.
“No one ever wants to be in this situation, but if we are faced with it, we’ve given them the tools to be able to save a life until our emergency responders can get there and help out,” said Dr. Peace Madueme with Nemours Children’s Health.
Last year, more than 33,000 Orange County students participated in the training and the goal remained the same for this year with more than 31,000 students participating.
[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]
“Last school year one of our high school students at Lake Buena Vista High School actually had to perform CPR later that afternoon after receiving this training and saved a life of one of their coworkers,” said Jose Martinez, OCPS Chief of High Schools.
Paramedics said they use the Bee Gees song “Stayin’ Alive” for the training because they said the beat and rhythm matches the appropriate amount of compression.
“There are more than 400,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests that happen in the U.S. every year. More than 80% of those happen at home, so if a student does have to act in a event of an emergency, there could be the chance they are saving the life of someone that they love,” said Jimmy Clarity with the American Heart Association.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: