Tamworth people urged to sign up for free CPR course

Richard Torrens from Poolwerx Tamworth, who is behind the initiative locally, said the response had been really positive but there were still courses available before the offer ended on April 30.

“We’ve had a great response to the offer, with people keen to sign up to learn this lifesaving skill for free,” he said.

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“Our research showed us that 75 per cent of parents admitted they were not confident they had the CPR skills to save a life, which is why Poolwerx teamed with Australian Red Cross and Laurie Lawrence’s Kids Alive program to make it simple, fast and free to get CPR training.”

With almost half of drowning deaths in children under five occurring in swimming pools, the free online CPR course could help parents save the life of their child or a child in their care. 

Mr Torrens said people could visit the store anytime until April 30 to collect their free course redemption card.

“We will provide them with a code word they can use to redeem a voucher for the free course,” he said.

“People do not need to be a Poolwerx customer to take advantage of this offer.

“There is no catch; we just want as many parents in the community, especially pool owners, to know how to save a life.”

Kids Alive founder and April Pools Day advocate Laurie Lawrence said anything that would help reduce drowning statistics and improve pool safety in Australia was worth getting behind.

“Last year drowning deaths in children under five increased by 32 per cent and we all have a role to play to help reduce this tragic statistic,” he said.

“April Pools Day speaks to our fifth important step to reduce the risk of preschool drowning and that is ‘Learn how to resuscitate’.

“It is absolutely vital parents have this skill, as a child is four times more likely to survive if given CPR.”

Australian Red Cross first aid trainer Janie McCullagh said that almost 30 per cent of parents surveyed by Poolwerx believed they did not need to obtain CPR training as their partner knew how to perform CPR.

“Children can get into trouble in the water anywhere and at any time, and that’s why it’s so important for all parents to be confident that they could perform CPR in an emergency,” she said.

“The Australian Red Cross online CPR training program gives people the opportunity to update their knowledge of CPR, and they can then pay to complete a short practical course to obtain their full CPR certificate.”