Parkes lifeguard and swimming teacher Nikki Thornhill believes it’s never too late to learn how to perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
She also believes it’s never too early for anyone to begin learning either.
That’s why she’s come up with a clever alternative for her little swimmers on days when bad weather conditions prevent them from hopping in the water for their regular swimming lessons.
It’s a move that one day may help these youngsters save someone’s life.
Every summer Parkes Shire Council runs learn to swim classes at the Parkes Aquatic Centre, which this season includes more than 100 children aged between six months and 10 years.
Nikki has been a lifeguard at the pool for four years. She was also a nurse for one year prior to that.
The new idea came to her this summer season when she was studying her Certificate III in aquatics.
“There was a lot of information on rescues and setting training programs,” she said.
“As a lifeguard, we deal with a lot of rescues.
“I found out that 26 per cent of Australians don’t actually know how to do CPR.”
Nikki was compelled further to put words into action after hearing of the devastating drowning of a four-year-old girl at the Orange Aquatic Centre on November 4 last year.
“When that drowning at Orange happened, I thought if it can happen at Orange, it can happen here in Parkes,” she said.
“I watched a video from America on Facebook where they taught a two-year-old how to do CPR.
“It doesn’t matter if they are right or wrong, whatever they do is going to help.”
The afternoon and night lightning storm that hit Parkes on Thursday, November 16 – and brought with it between 55mm-120mm of rain – was the prime opportunity for Nikki to teach her first CPR lesson to her young students.
Unable to hop in the water, the swimmers instead climbed the stairs of the pool’s entrance building to learn a different life skill.
The children have done two more CPR sessions and learning about calling Triple Zero with Nikki since that day.
“We usually do water safety skills anyway,” Nikki said.
“The toddlers didn’t see what it was all about until the parents got involved.
“But the older kids loved it, they thought it was great.”
Nikki is also focused on not only training children but parents as well.
“It’s something all parents should know because you never know when it’s going to happen,” she said.
READ MORE:
