Commencing at 09.30hrs today, our Team Equipment Officer – Medical, Nigel Booth, who works full time as a GMFRS Watch Manager, currently at GMFRS Bolton North Fire Station, attended today an NWAS Heartstart Instructor Course, held at NWAS Headquarters, Ladybridge Hall, Bolton.
The following is an account by Nigel of this course today;
From 9:30 am today twenty six aspiring Heartstart instructors met at the NWAS Headquarters at Ladybridge Hall Bolton. Heartstart is an initiative of the British Heart Foundation, teaching you what to do in a life threatening emergency. The course was run by North West Ambulance Service’s Community Resuscitation Team with the training itself headed up by NWAS Paramedic Sara Harris.
In the morning we undertook the Heartstart Course itself which entailed a two hour session that covered five scenarios which began with a demonstration via the British Heart Foundation DVD Skills for life. Each scenario finished with practical demonstration and participation from the course candidates. The resuscitation principles covered were those of the Resuscitation Council of the UK (www.resus.org.uk)
We then gained a wider understanding of the functioning of the heart and a number of other related areas as laid down as requirements of the Instructor Course. Participants of the course included NWAS Paramedics, Youth workers from Bolton Lads and Girls Club, and NWAS Community First Responders.
Anyone wanting further information can get it from www.Resus.org.uk and www.cardiacsmart.nwas.nhs.uk/ and www.bhf.org.uk
