One of the most important things in life, is life. Because of that some may have wondered how we might save a life in a life-threatening situation. Our imaginations go to some wild places when thinking about such things and some of us even forget the existence of skills like CPR or first aid. It is the belief of many that we need to spread such skills and save lives. 

A sad but true fact is that 90% of people that have a heart attack out of the hospital do not survive (www.cpr.heart.org), but of the 10% that survive, nearly half of them are saved by a bystander that knows CPR (www.procpr.org). According to the CDC using CPR on someone having a heart can double or triple their chances of surviving.

The EMT/first aid class

Two main ways students can get their certification today are by either taking a class outside of school or taking the EMT/first aid elective in school. Now, the two are not the same and when interviewed, Ms. Almandoz, a dean and former EMT teacher, pointed out how you can’t get the same kind of training from a 3-hour class as a 2-semester course. This is a main reason as to why the class is so important, but I also believe the class has some areas that can be improved.

The biggest area of improvement is the lack of advertising. The good news is that it’s an easy fix. The class is getting more popular and kids talk about it more as you go up the grades. Junior and senior students especially discover the class when they begin to think of potential career options for their future. 

The second area of improvement is the limiting factors. The class goes beyond just normal electives because of its importance. The class is only offered for 3 periods of the day which benefits teachers who are teaching other courses, but students already have tight schedules and might not be able to find room for the class. This is a way harder fix but not impossible; if students are willing to, we can have the school sign up for the FDNY Teens Take Heart CPR Program which can help teach kids about the basics of CPR. This program is no substitute for the actual class, but is the closest thing some students can access for free.

So what can we takeaway?

The school has a reputable EMT class, but like all things, it can be perfected. After all, anyone can be faced with the task of saving a life one day.