Two emergency response personnel from Fort Frances teamed up with students at Fort High last year to build a student First Response Team for medical emergencies—and the partnership is paying off.
Beginning Nov. 3, five students at the high school began taking rotations for being “on call” at the school, from 8:45 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. every weekday.
Local paramedic John Beaton and Fort Frances Fire Chief Steve Richardson volunteered their time to train the five students in the Red Cross First Responder program—a 44-hour course that gives intensive training in how to deal with a medical emergency.
“What’s involved is not just basic first aid,” Beaton said. “They get training in oxygen therapy, backboarding, and a lot more advanced assessment skills.
“The brain starts to die from lack of oxygen after four minutes,” Beaton explained in a presentation of the program to the Rainy River District School Board last Tuesday night.
Beaton added it takes three to four minutes for paramedics to get to the high school—provided they are not out on other calls.
The goal is to have a team of people in place who can respond in a medical emergency during those critical first four minutes before paramedics arrive.
Two students will be on call at the school every day, and school administration will incorporate the notification of the team into their emergency procedures.
The five students who have completed the training are Emily Laing, 15, Ashley Richardson, 16, Ashley Dutton, 17, Ed Calder Jr., 17, and Shane MacDonald, 18.
Most of the five expressed an interest in pursuing a career in a health-related or scientific field. All, that is, except Calder. “I want to be a motorcycle mechanic,” he remarked.
When asked why he decided to pursue the Red Cross training, Calder noted that, as a hockey and football player, he had seen a number of injuries and wanted to be able to help in emergency situations.
Richardson, the fire chief’s daughter, said she found the training “intensive,” but worthwhile.
Beaton noted with more than 1,000 students at Fort High, and with the Townshend Theatre and Confederation College campus attached to the building, there is potentially a great number of people who could benefit from the team’s presence.
While the team has received their certification, they will continue to receive monthly updates from Beaton and Richardson to keep their skills sharp.
Beaton said he hopes the high school eventually will grant course credits for the training, which touches on many subjects taught in classes, and which also is an asset on a résumé.
“Some universities have First Response teams,” noted Beaton, as well as many factories and construction sites.
The goal is to train a new group every school year, Beaton said, to ensure the sustainability of the program. Seven more students already have started training this month.
Fort Frances Times
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