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CPR Training Would Be Required In Wisconsin Schools Under GOP Proposal

Senate Is Expected To Pass The Measure

By
Truckee Meadows Community College (CC-BY)

A new bill would require public, private and charter school students in grades seven through 12 to undergo a one-time CPR training session during health class.

Republican Sen. Jerry Petrowski introduced the measure, which has gained the support of a number of lawmakers and organizations.

“This training takes less time than it takes to watch a sitcom,” said John Raymond, president and CEO of the Medical College of Wisconsin.

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North Shore Fire Chief Robert Whitaker said he’s seen CPR save lives. He remembers a call he once got about a young man playing basketball.

“As he went up for a layup, he suffered cardiac arrest,” said Whitaker. “Fortunately, his co-players, or players he was playing with, had been trained and jumped into action, and he’s walked out of the hospital as a survivor.”

Greenfield Fire Chief Jon Cohn also supports the bill.

“We have taught a generation to call 911,” he said. “We now need to move to the next level of, while they’re waiting for us to get there, they need to do something.”

Each CPR training kit costs about $600. Under Petrowski’s plan, schools would share kits and plan their trainings around resource availability.

The American Heart Association has pledged $75,000 to fund the trainings. Nicole Hudzinsky, who works with the association, said providing CPR training goes beyond saving lives

“This is also about giving our youth the skills and confidence they need to step in and help in a medical emergency,” she said.

Twenty-seven other states have similar CPR requirements. The bill is expected to pass the Senate.