|
Red Cross and U.S. Department of Education Provide First Aid Training to Teachers
Written by Carrie A. Martin, Special to RedCross.org
May 22, 2003 —
Wearing a t-shirt that read, "You can't scare me, I'm a teacher," twenty-six year teaching veteran Jean Hopkins dressed comfortably when she left her home this past weekend to take part in a four-hour Red Cross training session in first aid. Along with nearly 200 other teachers from Montgomery County, Md., a suburb just outside Washington, D.C., Jean braved the rainy weekend weather to learn valuable life-saving skills at a local community college gymnasium.
Jean Hopkins (right) was one of nearly 200 teachers from Montgomery County to learn life-saving skills from the American Red Cross.
|
This training marks the launch of a national pilot program initiated by the U.S. Department of Education, in collaboration with the American Red Cross, to provide first aid training to teachers, school staff and middle school students.
With pilots currently underway in both Montgomery County, Md., and Houston, Tex., this initiative is bringing together federal and local agencies and the Red Cross as part of the government's continuing emergency preparedness efforts. Once the pilot program is evaluated and refined, it will be rolled out to school districts and Red Cross chapters across the country.
Fifty volunteer instructors from the American Red Cross of the National Capital Area and national headquarters provided the training to the teachers, which included instruction on how to handle unconscious victims and how to administer proper bandages and splints.
"If there is an emergency in the school, you can't just depend on the school nurse. You have to have other people trained to respond," said Sindy Chin, a 6th grade math teacher at Cabin John Middle School.
The Montgomery County, Md., school system was chosen for this pilot test site due to its proximity to terrorist targets and its experience in dealing with major emergency preparedness issues. This past fall, the community was traumatized by the sniper attacks in the region.
"Instinct only goes so far," said Jean Hopkins, who was isolated in the classroom with her students for hours after a 13-year-old boy was shot by the snipers at a nearby school in Maryland. "There is a confidence that comes in knowing that you're right," she said, "and this training will help better prepare us for the next emergency."
Emergency preparedness was an underlying theme of the teacher training day.
|
The training certified participants in basic first aid. In addition, the trained staff received a two-hour first aid and preparedness curriculum for students, prepared by the American Red Cross, which can be presented as part of each school's own emergency preparedness program.
Thousands of middle school students will receive this training by the end of this school year as part of the pilot project. The curriculum is consistent with the health education curriculum in first aid for middle school students in Montgomery County Public Schools.
The Department of Education approached the Red Cross to initiate the program earlier this year, seeing the need to help schools think about disaster preparedness.
According to Eric Andell, deputy undersecretary for the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools at the U.S. Department of Education, "Schools are not exempt from disasters, and we want to make sure that teachers and students are prepared to handle an emergency until the 'first responders' arrive. We hope this program will also assure parents that their children are in good hands should a disaster arise."
In August, the American Red Cross will announce the next phase of the Together We Prepare campaign launched earlier this year. The campaign was initially targeted at individuals and families, encouraging people to take five action steps: make a plan, build a kit, get trained, volunteer and give blood. This new phase will focus more intensely on school preparedness.
"School preparedness is a top priority for the American Red Cross," said Alan McCurry, chief operating officer (COO) of the organization. "We want to send a nationwide message to young people that they, too, need this training. That way, we can help people of all ages access these life-saving skills."
Related Links:
|
| 
|
|
All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. The Red Cross also supplies nearly half of the nation's lifesaving blood. This, too, is made possible by generous voluntary donations. You can help the victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those in need. You can make a secure online credit card donation or call 1-800-HELP NOW (1-800-435-7669) or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Or you may send your donation to your local Red Cross or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013. To donate blood, please call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE (1-800-448-3543), or contact your local Red Cross to find out about upcoming blood drives.
|
