Hygienic '˜kiss of life' mask created for first responders in Warwick district

Warwick Rotary Club has been working with Warwick District Community First Responders to create a face mask for CPR.

The First Responders are volunteers who respond to 999 calls on behalf of West Midlands Ambulance Service.

This year they have been busy responding to the demand for training people in CPR lifesaving skills and using defibrillators.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The First Responders have trained nearly 1,000 people in lifesaving skills this year with more than 200 people trained on ‘Restart a Heart day’ in October, including Warwick Mayor Christine Cross, and a further 100 being trained this month.

To meet this demand the Responders have recruited new trainers, which included Warwick Rotarian Graham Suggett, who noted the reluctance to administer the ‘kiss of life’ on hygiene grounds.

Working together the Rotary club and the First Responders created a face mask.

The mask is a small piece of gauze, which is then placed on the lips of a patient to administer the kiss of life.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The mask has been designed to be attached to a car or house keyring so it is always there in case of emergency.

Warwick Rotary Club raised and donated £1,000 to purchase 2,000 keyring face masks which are now being given to all volunteers who complete a CPR and AED course.

If anyone is interested in being trained in CPR and how to use a defibrillator, or joining the First Responders’ training team, or interested in becoming a 999 responder contact the Warwick District First Responders via their website.

To go to the website click here.