AAPS: Allen students learn hands-only CPR in honor of Heart Health Month

By Jo Mathis/AAPS District News Editor

Allen Elementary third, fourth and fifth graders now have some first-hand training in a skill that could potentially save a life.

In honor of Heart Health Awareness this month, Allen Parent Council President Adrian Dantzer realized it would be a good chance for emergency medical technicians to come to Allen to teach hands-only CPR and the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED).

Dantzer is a SCAD (spontaneous coronary artery dissection) heart attack survivor herself, and her fourth grade daughter Amelia has a congenital heart defect and is what her mother calls “a heart warrior.”

“So we’re also doing this right now to spread awareness,” said Dantzer, noting that she and her family will wear red for Heart Health Month this Friday—something the public is encouraged to do every first Friday in February.

Huron Valley Ambulance EMT Nicole Balensiefer said it’s important for everybody who can to at least learn hands-on CPR—and becoming certified in CPR is even better.

“I like teaching (hands-on CPR) starting at the third grade,” she said during a break between CPR classes at Allen Friday. “The more practice people have, the better able they are to respond to emergencies. And we’ve had nine-year-old save lives, so the more prepared our community is to respond, the better our outcomes are for everyone.”

Balensiefer told the kids that the first thing they should do in an emergency is to call 911 or tell someone else to do so.