HOLLAND, OH (WTOL) - Most kids don't learn how to save a life on their first day back to school. But that's precisely what happened at Springfield High School Wednesday.
More than 300 students, mostly incoming freshmen, spent the afternoon learning hands-only CPR.
"There's a new push to get high school students trained in that," said Dave Moore, Springfield Township Fire and EMS.
Hands-only CPR is exactly like it sounds – chest compressions without mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
Studies show the process is still very effective and that taking the breathing aspect out makes people more likely to act fast when the moment comes.
"For every minute that goes by without CPR being done on somebody who needs it, their chance of survival decreases by 10 percent," said Moore. "Doing compressions, even without the respiration, is going to make a big difference and give that person a greatly-increased chance of survival."
Students in Action is a national leadership initiative that has a strong presence at Springfield. The local students involved in the program were a big part of making the first day of school event happen.
"You know, it's not going to hurt you to learn it, right?" said springfield senior Grace Johnson. "There are situations every day that happen where people need it. So if you learn this skill, it has the opportunity to help so many people."
