CPR/AED & First Aid Training at Housewright Construction

When two individuals within our organization survived heart attacks last fall, we were thankful for their full recoveries and grateful for their returns to work. It was a jolting reminder about how suddenly life can change and about the value of receiving swift medical care.

These heart attacks became a catalyst for us to update our in-house training. In November, 2018 Housewright Construction contracted with the Newbury Emergency Medical Services, who used the curriculum from the American Heart Association to educate and certify 16 of our employees to become CPR/AED and First Aid providers. Our staff was very engaged in the training and they now have the skills they need in the event of an emergency, whether it occurs on one of our jobsites, at their homes or in the broader community. We would like to thank Newbury EMS volunteers Dan Martin, Nancy Martin, Doug Merrill and Steve Willett for sharing their time, experience and knowledge with us.

The population of many rural Vermont and New Hampshire towns – Newbury included – is spread over many miles. These distances, especially when combined with poor weather or road conditions, can seriously hinder the response time of the local volunteer fire department and EMT personnel. Each community would benefit from having more people with CPR and First Aid training. We encourage anyone who is interested in gaining or renewing these skills to contact your local EMS organization for guidance.

The Newbury EMS team and fire departments are also looking for volunteers. Interested parties should contact Dan Martin (nemshos@gmail.com) to learn more.