Seminole County Fire Department Teaches Nearly 500 9th and 11th Grade Students at Winter Springs High School Students Hands-Only CPR

Seminole County, Fla. (May 21, 2024) – Florida House Bill 157 (approved in 2021 Legislative) requires school districts to provide basic training in first aid, including CPR for all students in 9^th and 11^th grades.
 
For the second year in a row, the Seminole County Fire Department’s trained all 9^th and 11^th grade students at Winter Springs High School over two days in hands-only CPR – this was nearly 500 students.
 
The initiative is through SCFD’s Save-a-Life Seminole program. Hands-only CPR has been shown to be equally as effective on a teen or adult as conventional CPR for cardiac arrest at home, at work or in public. The students also learned about the importance of finding an AED.
 
“Having our local firefighters come interact with the students and teach hands-only CPR has been extremely beneficial and engaging for our students,” said Pete Gaffney, Winter Springs High School principal, “Not only do our students learn a lifesaving skill, but they interact with positive role models who serve our community.”
 
“We stress to students that first responders need their help before we arrive on scene,” said Lieutenant Joshua Marzolf. “Time is tissue and every second matters. We encourage them to do CPR and the only bad CPR is no CPR at all.”
 

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About the Seminole County Fire Department (SCFD): Founded in 1974, the Seminole County Fire Department has proudly served a countywide population in Seminole County, Florida of nearly a half-million residents with 20 fire stations. SCFD is ISO Class 1 rated, an Internationally Accredited Agency with the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) and CAAS Accredited through the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services. SCFD  provides emergency services to the unincorporated areas of the County and in the Cities of Altamonte Springs, Winter Springs, and Casselberry. The Department has first response agreements in place with the Cities of Lake Mary, Longwood, Sanford, and Oviedo. Follow SCFD on social on Facebook (@SCFD.1974), Instagram (@seminolecountyfd) and Twitter/X (@SCFDPIO). For more information, visit seminolecountyfl.gov/firedepartment.