Flat Stan Saving Lives

Primary schools all over the country are being over-looked, and young children are being deprived of the opportunity to be taught vital life skills.

Funding is said to be not ‘available’ for practical lessons in CPR awareness – even though the government say they realise the importance of CPR in schools for young people, it is not part of the school curriculum and schools seem reluctant to pay for trainers to deliver sessions for children. Schools that do offer first-aid lessons to youngsters and pay to hire trainers are not getting anything out of it because of the difficulty to make the lessons fun and engaging for kids.

These lessons may not seem important, currently, for young people to learn – but many youngsters live with older family members, who are more likely to suffer from heart failures and other problems. It shouldn’t take somebody to die for things to change.

Simon Ferris, CPR Awareness trainer, says it is very difficult to make the sessions fun because of the “not-so-friendly” old CPR manikins. He explains that “Not only are the manikins unpleasant on the eye, but young children can not physically use them to deliver chest compressions”. This is when they began to think of the new, child-friendly mannequin Flat Stan – making it easier for young people to be able to learn many tips and lessons, including:

• How to check if somebody is breathing
• How to put someone in a safe position before performing CPR
• How to deal with burns and bleeds
• How to deliver chest compressions

All of these help make teaching awareness more fun and enjoyable for the younger generation, and help inform children about dangers and how to avoid them.

Many people, including Simon, are trying to spread the message of Flat Stan and want people to know that there are alternatives to the basic, boring First Aid training lessons. Flat Stan can be delivered through work shops in school, but can also be delivered through private sessions to parents.

More schools need to be encouraged to hire Flat Stan and put sessions on – this is extremely important. Most people of today’s generation do not remember how to perform CPR or look for signs of life when needed – so what was the point? Flat Stan offers something more: an exciting way of learning for children from the ages of 4 to 11.

Workshops cost between £250 – £300 for a single class of 30 children.

Schools may wish to fund these sessions themselves to deliver a worthwhile experience to the children of this generation – although, if the money cannot be gathered, schools may want to ask for a contribution from parents or local businesses may sponsor a session.

This is an extremely worthwhile experience to offer for young people, and will definitely improve the sessions put in place to teach children about first-aid issues that aren’t as well-taught today.

Medi Pouch, Cromwell House, Elland Road, Brighouse, HD6 2RG
To enrol please contact sales@medipouchuk.co.uk or on 01422 648 684