The last thing young Brennan Conacher expected to be doing at the farewell party was choking on a potato chip.
The Grade 3 student had just picked up some empty paper cups to hold the frogs he and some friends were about to catch. Being a practical young man he also took the opportunity to fill up a cup with potato chips just before he and some friends headed back down to the bush (frog central).
As they walked back towards the trees eating the chips one became lodged in Brennan's throat and he collapsed to the ground fighting to get his breath.
"The chip got stuck in my throat," he said.
At this point his friend, Grade 4 student Lyndon Domotor, happened on the scene.
"I saw Brennan choking and I had to help 'cause he was my friend. I just knew so I told Alex to get a parent and bring some juice back to wash it down if I couldn't do it. I knew how to do the Heimlich because Mrs. Anderson taught us it in first aid. Then I went up and sat down behind him and put my wrists together and lifted up four times. I stopped when I could hear him start breathing again."
"When he did it the chip went down," said Brennan, "and I started breathing. I went back to playing, but first I dumped my cup of chips."
"The first aid I took from Mrs. Anderson was valuable," said Lyndon, "because you could save someone's life, or even your own."
Teacher Eileen Anderson has taught the St. John's Ambulance First Aid course 'We Can Help' a number of times over the years to students in three Northwest School Division schools. The course is a comprehensive program that is easily adaptable to different age groups from Grade 3 to 6.
During the course the Grade 4 students at Turtleford Community School learned how to perform artificial respiration using a "resuscitating Annie" dummy, as well as how to treat unconscious people, how to deal with poisoning, sprains, fractures and injuries to the head, neck and back. They also practiced the Heimlich manoeuvre on each other and on some large Teddy bears brought in by the kids.
The day after Lyndon applied his skills to save Brennan's life was the day the Grade 4 students received their certificates for successfully completing the course from principal Darrell Newton.
"It was a good tie-in and Darrell really built on the fact of how useful the course was," said Eileen. "The course is so hands-on and useful and the children get some very useful materials posters and books. I wish more people knew about it."
Happily for the Conacher family the right person knew about it.
