Editor's Note: This article has been updated with the correct times for the CPR lessons and blood drive.
A Springfield High School teacher’s death in November, followed by Toledo Mayor D. Michael Collins’ sudden death in February, has the Springfield community working to make sure people know exactly how to respond to cardiac crises.
The Springfield Township Fire Department — along with Springfield Schools’ Students in Action, the American Heart Association, American Red Cross, and several other local agencies — has teamed up for Start the Heart, a communitywide initiative to raise awareness of the importance of basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation skills.
The event will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Springfield High School field house in Holland, and it includes a blood drive until 2 p.m. and — during its first hour — free hands-only CPR lessons offered by the fire department.
Pharmacy and audiology professionals will provide information, as will professionals from the Lucas County Health Department, Lucas County EMS, and the United Way of Greater Toledo. The Lucas County Sheriff’s Office, meanwhile, will hold a prescription-drug drop-off for proper disposal of unneeded pills.
The Springfield High School field house is at 1470 S. McCord Rd., Holland. Despite nearby construction, the school and field house are fully accessible to drivers driving north on McCord Road from Airport Highway. Drivers heading south toward the school on McCord Road should turn right on Angola Road and follow the McCord detour signs. Free parking is available at the school.
“Seventy percent of the general public is not trained in or has no general knowledge of CPR,” said Rick Helminiski, Springfield Township’s assistant fire chief and a member of the Springfield Board of Education.
“A majority of the calls we get about sudden cardiac arrest occurs in the home. At least one person in every home should know some level of CPR.”
Jim Schall, who taught physics and other science courses for 10 years at Springfield High, died in November of complications from a stroke he suffered a month before. His death rocked the Springfield Schools teachers, students, and district administrators.
The Jim Schall Memorial Blood Drive will be held during Start the Heart.
“He was probably one of the most impassioned and giving people I’ve ever know,” said Jordan Dasconi, a senior and a member of Springfield Students In Action. “His passing had a huge impact on our school. We thought memorializing everything he stood for would be a great way to bring closure to the community.”
About 90 percent of all out-of-hospital cardiac events result in death. Chances of survival increase as more people educated and trained in CPR.
“When CPR is performed immediately after a cardiac event, it doubles and triples survival rates,” said Allyson France, executive director of the American Heart Association of Northwest Ohio.
“It’s really something anybody can do. It’s simply two steps: call 911 and push hard and fast in the center of the chest, 100 beats per minute.”
Contact RoNeisha Mullen at: rmullen@theblade.com, 419-343-3299.
First Published August 3, 2015, 4:00 a.m.
