C-M employees take emergency training
District custodians Patrick Kostelich, left, and Jim Cole practice CPR on a dummy during an emergency training program.
Chris Chiprich, a North Strabane Township paramedic and firefighter, watches as Margaret Davis, a custodian in Canon-McMillan School District, practices putting out a fire.
Bob lay on a table inside the Canon-McMillan High School cafeteria as a half-dozen district employees prepared to resuscitate him with an automated external defibrillator.
“That may be the spark that Bob needed,” an emergency medical services instructor told the employees as he demonstrated how to use the device.
Fortunately, Bob is just a dummy, but the emergency training nearly 170 district employees received Wednesday and Thursday could be the extra step to save a student’s life.
The training was coordinated by the school district and North Strabane Township’s fire, police and emergency management departments, Canonsburg EMS and fire departments, Peters Township fire department and Allegheny Health System. Employees were trained in fire extinguisher use, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, use of the AED, first aid and procedures for emergencies such as active shooter situations.
The training involved not only teachers, but also custodians, bus drivers, cafeteria workers and other behind-the-scenes personnel, said Matt Harding, director of support services.
“These are the people that, from my perspective, are the first responders before even the police or the fire department gets here,” Harding said.
Amanda Snyder, a school custodian, said the training was informative and helpful.
“I thought it was very well put together,” Snyder said, “even talking to the officers about the security of the building and getting to voice our opinion, because a lot of the time we get overlooked.”
Lisa Weaver, a substitute teacher, said, “It’s nice to have hands-on for an emergency situation, but not in an (actual) emergency.”
The fire extinguisher training seemed to be the most popular among employees. They had the chance to extinguish a propane-fueled, controlled fire before entering a trailer – designed to look like a kitchen – to put out a simulated stovetop fire.
The district coordinated this training program for about eight months, at virtually no cost. Assistant Superintendent Scott Chambers said it would have taken a year to train all employees if the district had tried to coordinate this program through its own personnel.
“Now we’re on a fast track,” he said, adding that the district hopes to continue the partnership with local townships to host similar training programs in the future.