After Heart Scare, School Trains Staff And Students In Lifesaving
ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- More than 700 students, staff, faculty and even parents took part in a CPR/Automated External Defibrillator (AED) training workshop at Saint Thomas Academy Wednesday afternoon.
The massive workshop comes after a student suffered a cardiac event and collapsed on the football field this August.
A student and a member of the coaching staff, who was also a doctor, administered CPR until help arrived.
Thanks to their quick response, that student is back in class this semester.
Shortly after the incident, Coon Rapids Police Officer Bryan Platz approached Saint Thomas Academy and offered CPR training.
"I knew that most schools aren't quite properly prepared to deal with something like this," Platz said. "So I reached out to them, offered this training to them to make sure that every cadet from this day forward and staff member will be prepared if this were to ever happen again."
Senior Austin Petronick says it was an eye-opening event.
"This type of situation could happen to anyone at any time, at any age," Petronick said.
Brian Edel, the school's dean of students, says the incident in August motivated students to learn these life-saving skills.
"I think the student body feels very fortunate and lucky that we had a student survive this summer," Edel said. "And I think they're more than willing to participate."
Officer Platz says people are never too young to learn how to perform CPR or use an AED device.
"As a matter of fact, students ... retain this stuff better," Platz said.
The workshop was offered to all students in grades seven through 12. Staff, faculty and parents were also invited to the training.
"My hope is that it empowers them if they ever find themselves in a situation where someone is suffering a cardiac event that they will know what to do and can hopefully save someone's life," Edel said.
Officer Platz says this was the biggest CPR class he has ever organized, but he's ready to move into even bigger groups.
His ultimate goal is for the entire state to be designated as "heart safe."