Fla. Teen Saves Baby's Life After Learning CPR in High School: 'It Was Extremely Intense'

"We're so proud of him and the life-saving service he rendered," Crestview High School said of student Savion Harris

By Joelle Goldstein

March 25, 2021 02:18 PM

Savion Harris | CREDIT: COURTESY CRESTVIEW HIGH SCHOOL

A Florida teen is being praised as a hero after he jumped into action to save the life of a 6-month-old baby.

Crestview High School student Savion Harris was at work on Saturday when the scary incident unfolded, according to ABC affiliate WEAR.

He told the Northwest Florida Daily News that he was finishing his shift at a local Thai restaurant when the mother of the family-owned business came running down the stairs with her son Max in her arms, frantically yelling for someone to help.

According to WEAR, the baby had turned blue and was not breathing.

The mother passed the unresponsive baby to his father, who then told restaurant employees to call 911, the Daily News reported.

Harris, an 11th grader at Crestview, immediately jumped into action and began chest compressions on the infant — something he had learned in school, according to the outlet.

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"While I was talking to the responder on the other end of the phone, I got the baby from the dad and put him on the table. The baby was turning blue and I decided to do CPR," he recalled to the Daily News. "I did two good compressions and the baby started crying, so I knew he was getting oxygen to his lungs. The color started returning to his face and at that point, the ambulance arrived."

"It was a very short, but like, intense couple of minutes. Just two or three minutes at the most, but it was extremely intense," Harris added to WEAR.

According to the Daily News, Harris received his CPR certification as part of Crestview High School's Career and Technical Education (CTE) Program.

The program currently has a partnership between its medical classes and Florida State University's SSTRIDE (Science Students Together Reaching Instructional Diversity & Excellence) program, the outlet reported.

Some people in the program use their training to land jobs straight out of high school, while others can choose to enroll in FSU's medical program and pursue careers in the field, according to the Daily News.

Harris plans to be one of those people and told the outlet he hopes to become a trauma nurse after earning his degree from the university.

Following the heroic rescue, CTE Allied Health teacher, Dr. Tammy McKenzie, told WEAR: "I'm very proud to see one of my students be able to jump into action."

"We practice a lot," McKenzie continued. "The students in this class understand the significance of learning those life-saving skills."

Crestview High School also praised the teen for his actions in a post on Instagram.

"This weekend, Savion Harris used skills he learned in Dr. McKenzie's class to help a six-month-old baby who was blue and not breathing!" the school wrote alongside a photo of Harris with Principal Dexter Day.

"In a moment of critical need, he put into action his Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers training," the school went on. "His quick thinking had him performing chest compressions with EMS on the line and the baby began crying."

"We're so proud of him and the life-saving service he rendered!" the school added. "This is just one of the reasons why having CTE in our schools matters!!"

Original Link:

Florida Teen Saves Baby's Life After Learning CPR in High School | PEOPLE.com