14 MHS students earn CPR/AED & first aid certification

Fourteen Methuen High students are better prepared to save lives after earning CPR/AED and first aid certification.

The teens completed training in CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), AED use (automated external defibrillator) and first aid. These skills prepare students to recognize and respond to life-threatening emergencies such as cardiac arrest, choking, severe bleeding and other medical emergencies.

The course is an elective at MHS by certified HeartSaver CPR instructors Liz Fulks and Chris Hudon. It is a quarter-long class where students are rigorously tested on content and skills, demonstrating proper chest compressions, breaths, AED use and first aid. Since becoming instructors, Fulks and Hudon have certified over 100 students.

“You never plan to witness a cardiac arrest, but if it happens, the person who knows CPR becomes the difference between life and death,” Fulks stated. “Every student who learns CPR becomes another potential lifesaver in our community. That’s the real power of health education.”