Chesterfield News


Learn how to save a life with free online course through local organisation


As many remain at home amid the coronavirus pandemic, people are being urged to do something positive with their time and learn vital first aid skills online.

In conjunction with Virtual College, Chesterfield-based community organisation CSALS promotes a free online first aid course which takes less than an hour on average to complete.

CSALS set a world record in 2016 when 1,795 people took part in a first aid lesson at Chesterfield FC’s Proact Stadium.

Debra Johnson, Community Facilitator for CSALS, explains why it is important for everyone to learn basic first aid skills. She says: “The statistics are quite startling because every five minutes, someone will have a heart attack and an estimated 140,000 people die annually where the use of first aid could have saved their lives.

“Around 59% of people wouldn’t feel comfortable attempting to save a life with 24% saying they would wait for an ambulance or others to help. With ambulance response times averaging 7-12 minutes, it really can be a matter of life or death whether someone knows how to administer first aid.”

Boxing legend Frank Bruno MBE (right) and former Sheffield United and England star Tony Currie (below) have both recently pledged their support for CSALS’ efforts to train more life-savers.

To do the course, which features just five short sections, please visit: www.virtual-college.co.uk/prepared. Once you have successfully completed it, you can download and print off a certificate of achievement stating that you are now ‘Prepared to Save a Life’!

A video highlighting the importance of first aid can be viewed below or on the CSALS YouTube channel here – www.youtube.com/watch?v=rP2xf0ykwqU

Dom Stevens

Destination Chesterfield Manager

Email Dom

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