North Clackamas School District Donation to Increase Numbers of Students Trained in CPR

CLACKAMAS, OR – North Clackamas County may soon be a safer place to find yourself in need of CPR.

By adding 350 inflatable CPR mannequins to the North Clackamas School District's health curriculum, more students and community members will have an opportunity to learn hands-only CPR.

Clackamas Fire District #1 announced Wednesday the school district’s $10,000 donation to purchase the new mannequins, noting how the additional training tools will help build on the more than 14,000 students and residents who have taken CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) training since the program was implemented during the 2015-2016 school year.

The school district’s donation couldn't have come at a more crucial time, fire district officials said, as the school district has had a limited number of mannequins for its growing student body, preventing many students from taking their CPR training kits home to practice their skills and teach the required three to ten friends or family members.

The new mannequins are expected to arrive March 23.

"Clackamas Fire is extremely proud of the partnership we have created with the North Clackamas schools," Clackamas Fire Chief Fred Charlton said. "We are now able to purchase much needed mannequins to help ensure students learn how to help save a life through performing CPR."

Nearly 2,500 North Clackamas School District students taught CPR to 9,595 community members during the 2015-2016 school year, the first since Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signed legislation mandating that students be taught CPR in schools.

For this 2016-2017 school year, 2,115 students so far have received CPR training.

The North Clackamas School District's participating schools include: Happy Valley Middle School, Rock Creek Middle School, Alder Creek Middle, Rowe Middle School, the Sabin-Schellenberg Center, and Clackamas High School.

"North Clackamas Schools benefit from effective community partnerships. We don't always get to say those partnerships have live-saving implications," Superintendent Matt Utterback said. "This is a partnership that is directly tied to teaching our students a life-saving skill that they can use in our local community."

Photo Courtesy: North Clackamas Fire District #1