Florida high schoolers required to learn CPR

Florida high schoolers required to learn CPR

FREEPORT, Fla. (WMBB) – Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill before this school year requiring Florida high school students to learn how to perform CPR.

Walton County Fire Rescue is now going to high schools across the county to teach 9th and 11th graders CPR and first aid.

WCFR Training Chief Jeremy Radney explained key factors in administering effective CPR.

“We need to go into making sure chest compressions are deep and we make sure we are coming off the chest to make sure we are getting the heart enough blood to flow through,” Radney said. “For an infant, we are doing the same thing the hand placement is just different and the AED placement is different so just knowing the difference between an adult and a baby is crucial.”

Freeport High School’s Assistant Principal Brian Michie was pleased to see the students taking the training seriously.

“I see that our students are very engaged, very hands-on,” Michie said. “It’s a great opportunity for them to learn from experienced, skilled teachers and instructors. I’m encouraged by the response that we heard from our students and in their level of participation with the crew.”

Radney said this training will help save lives.

“Normally when we respond somewhere, no one is doing CPR,” Radney said. “So when we get there, they either don’t know how to do CPR, they’re confused, or they just don’t want to do it. With them being able to feel comfortable doing CPR, it increases the survivability of the patient when we get there.”

The students are also being taught how to respond to choking with the Heimlich maneuver and active bleeding through the use of tourniquets.

Walton County Fire Rescue will be at Paxton High School for CPR training Tuesday.