HUNDREDS of pupils on Canvey have been taught potentially life-saving skills by two paramedics as part of a new initiative to ensure youngsters know basic first aid.

Lee Umpleby and Jack Broomfield, both workers at the East of England Ambulance Service, have been teaching pupils CPR at Castle View School.

The crew mates started back in May and have since taught almost 1,000 pupils - giving up their own free time to visit the schools and provide the sessions.

The two-hour interactive sessions cover CPR, using an automated external defibrillator, the recovery position, how to maintain a patient’s airway and what to do if someone is choking.

Lee Umpleby, a senior paramedic at the East of England Ambulance Service, said: “The partnership with Castle View School is working extremely well and it is something we are looking to extend further with other schools.

“We see first-hand when working at the East of England Ambulance Service, the positive impact that good-quality bystander CPR can have an improving patient outcome, and this is great way to increase the number of people with basic life support skills.

“It is our mission to train as many people as possible basic life support.”

Every minute following cardiac arrest without cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation reduces the chance of survival by up to ten per cent. In some cases, early CPR and defibrillation can more than double the chances of survival.

Lee and Jack, alongside the Canvey Island Community First Responders, also run similar sessions for adults, as well as courses in schools tailored for younger children on when to call 999 and what to do if faced with a medical emergency.

They have to date trained more than 1,500 adults and children and counting. They also audit 26 public access defibrillators on Canvey to make sure they are in good working order when needed.

Jack Broomfield, an emergency care support worker at the East of England Ambulance Service, added: “Both Lee and I love giving back to our communities and it’s great going back to my old school to teach basic life support. “We try to make the sessions as fun and engaging as possible as it is vital that children are enjoying learning skills that could one day save someone’s life.”