FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Vermont Electric Power Company (VELCO)
Rutland, Vermont
March, 2007
Manchester, VT - Members of a freshman Health Class at Burr and Burton Academy this week became Vermont’s first group of students to receive basic Life Supporting First Aid (LSFA) skills training to empower them as bystanders to aid the injured or ill – most often family members and friends. Local certified emergency medical services (EMS) professionals are teaching the children how to recognize an emergency and cover topics including: bleeding control, early heart attack care, CPR and the Heimlich maneuver (abdominal thrust). The training, based upon the same prevailing national guidelines under which nearly all emergency medical technicians (EMT) are certified, is delivered by Save A Life Foundation (SALF). The non-profit organization believes that training individuals with basic first aid skills can greatly reduce the number of injuries and deaths associated with life-threatening events.
Students are frequently bystanders at emergency scenes and, given Vermont’s rural nature, when trained they can help sustain life until professional help arrives. “These students can serve as a critical pre-EMS ‘medical care bridge’ in time of an emergency,” explained John Donleavy, President and CEO of Vermont Electric Power Company, whose teenage daughters attend the Academy. “VELCO brought Save A Life Foundation to Vermont to help save lives. Launching the program through a partnership with the Academy seemed a natural fit. Both VELCO and Burr and Burton are values-driven institutions,” said Donleavy.
Burr and Burton Headmaster, Charles Scranton stated, “We take pride in the many opportunities we provide for the exercise of leadership skills and the growth of self-confidence. We expect our students to get involved, to assume responsibility for their own education, and to contribute positively to their school. This training parallels our school’s mission.” “The goal,” he noted, “is to train Burr and Burton’s 700 plus students and 66 faculty.”
Instructor Sid Blustain began the “Bystander Basics” training session by recounting his experiences as a firefighter paramedic in Chicago, his work at the scene of the 9/11 attacks at the World Trade Center, and other harrowing situations. He did so, he said, “Not to brag about my qualifications, but because I want you to know the information I’m going to give you really works, really can save a life. While we’re talking I want you to think about your family and think about your friends because more likely than not that’s who you could be saving.”
Blustain’s approach worked according to the students, “It’s very useful. Hearing stories about things that really happened made it interesting”, observed fourteen year old Miranda Ouellette, of Manchester. Fifteen-year old Brandon Merrow of Weston also approved, “It brought back a lot of information I learned last year. I bet they’ve saved a lot of lives.” Added teacher Julie Fifield, “I think that ultimately this instruction should be part of the curriculum.”
ABOUT SALF: Save A Life Foundation (SALF) is a national leader in providing age appropriate training to develop child bystanders as volunteers equipped with basic Life Supporting First Aid (LSFA) skills to sustain life until professional help arrives. SALF promotes community awareness and education through partnerships with federal, state and local elected officials and agencies, schools, hospitals and emergency response agencies to deploy local certified emergency medical services (EMS) professionals as instructors in America’s classrooms. Since its founding in 1993, more than 1.643 million children have participated in SALF programs, for more information visit www.salf.org.
Burr and Burton Academy is an independent, coeducational New England secondary school that serves as the school of choice for students from Manchester and several surrounding communities. Burr and Burton offers a broad and challenging curriculum that seeks a balance between science and the liberal arts. Faculty members strive to instill in their students a love of lifelong learning through their examples and their guidance. The school actively promotes good citizenship, personal responsibility, and service to the wider community.
VELCO is Vermont’s transmission system reliability resource that delivers electricity to the consumer utility companies throughout Vermont. VELCO has begun construction on a system wide upgrade to address reliability concerns in the state. For more information please contact:
Kerrick Johnson, VELCO Vice President of External Affairs, 802-770-6166 or via email at: kjohnson@velco.com