Local college receives award for its lifesaving programme

THE Irish Heart Foundation has presented a Northside school with a Special Recognition Award for training its students in the lifesaving skills of CPR.

Donabate Community College is the third school in Dublin to receive the award, which recognises schools for their remarkable efforts in CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) promotion and training. 

The award was presented as part of the Irish Heart Foundation’s CPR 4 Schools programme, which 73 percent of post-primary schools in Ireland are currently trained in. 

The charity is creating a generation of lifesavers by training post-primary school students around the country to perform CPR, use an AED in cardiac emergencies and respond when someone is choking.

Laura Hickey, Children and Young People Programme Manager at the Irish Heart Foundation, said: “Everyday 13 people in Ireland die from a cardiac arrest and schools are an ideal setting to educate young people in CPR and reduce the incidences of death from cardiac arrest. 

“Donabate Community College has done tremendous work in creating awareness and taking the fear out of lifesaving.

“CPR is a lifesaving skill that everyone can learn, and this programme is available to every post primary school in Ireland, equipping young people with the skills and confidence to perform CPR. 

“We would like to train more post-primary schools in Dublin and are encouraging teachers to attend our upcoming free training courses in their locality.”

John Doyle, Deputy Principal at Donabate Community College, said staff and students at the college were thrilled to be recognised for its contribution in creating the next generation of lifesavers, with a Special Recognition Award.

“We have really enjoyed delivering the programme to develop new lifesaving skills that can be used in every environment; at home, in school and in the community.”

CPR 4 Schools is a free programme for post-primary schools and fits into the school curriculum. 

For schools to take part in the training, two teachers must attend a two-hour workshop in education centres nationally. 

Teachers are then equipped with the skills to teach CPR, as well as access to the resources from the Irish Heart Foundation online portal to assist with training such as videos, lesson plans, student certificates, and access to free training manikins.