Guides learn how to save a life

Only five per cent of the 3,500 people who suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Scotland each year live to return home.

So the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has thrown its weight behind efforts to prevent many of those deaths by helping to equip the public with the skills and confidence to perform CPR.

Officers at Milngavie Community Fire Station demonstrated to girls from 9th Milngavie Guides how to properly perform chest compressions and rescue breaths using lifelike dummies.

Then the youngsters practised the potentially life-saving technique themselves.

Watch Manager George Woodcock, the commander of the station’s Group Five team, said: “This was a great chance for us to pass on some simple skills that could make the difference between life and death.

“The girls were incredibly attentive throughout the presentation and you could see they were determined to put what they had been shown into practice.”

He continued: “This session gave them the confidence to know what to do if they ever encounter someone who has had a cardiac arrest and needs resuscitation.

“The smiles on their faces said it all – there was a huge sense of achievement as they realised they had the skills that could save a life.”

To learn CPR phone Milngavie fire station ton 0141 956 2223 to arrange a suitable time.