The Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands, Simon Foster, teamed up with St John Ambulance to deliver vital life-saving first aid training at a school in Birmingham.
PCC Simon Foster joined the Young Responders programme, as sixth-form students at Aston Manor Academy learned invaluable life skills, including CPR and how to treat a catastrophic open wound using an improvised tourniquet.
Drink spiking and mental health awareness was also delivered, while the PCC heard directly from teenagers about their concerns around policing and crime in their communities.
Young Responders is a new St John Ambulance youth programme. It offers life-saving first aid skills for some of the real-life situations young people may find themselves in.
This year, more than 7,500 young people have benefited from the Young Responders initiative in the West Midlands, with those aged between 11 and 25 learning how best to improvise and deal with emergency situations, such as knife wounds and people losing consciousness.
Eve Adams, Young Responders’ Coordinator, said: “Our programme is incredibly important, especially in the climate we’re living in at the moment with the increase in youth violence.
“But also, first aid is an essential skill for young people to learn. It’s a life skill, it’s something that everyone needs to know and that’s our mission: for every young person aged 11 to 25 to know first aid.”
Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster, said: “It was a pleasure to attend Aston Manor Academy and join the St John’s Ambulance Young Responders team who continue to deliver their training, providing advice and guidance around their street first aid programme.
“It was also an opportunity to meet young people, talk to them and hear about their concerns regarding policing and crime.”
For more about St John Ambulance’s Young Responders programme, visit their website here.
