1st Naga City Inter-School First Aid Olympics: Elementary, HS studes vie as emergency responders

Unibersidad de Sta. Isabel (USI) students perform bandaging and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) during the First Aid Skills Olympics held Feb. 5 at the school’s quadrangle. JASON NEOLA/CEPPIO

NAGA CITY --- Some 1,500 elementary, secondary and college students from the city’s different public and private schools participated in the first ever Naga City Inter-School First Aid Skills Olympics from which they were able to enrich their knowledge on basic life support.

The big gathering of young first-aid responders, which was held at the Ateneo de Naga University gym, came as a continuing training of the students from previous basic life support (BLS) trainings they undertook in their respective schools conducted in previous months.

The training, which was conducted on January 31, this year was focused on providing the students with knowledge on medical care that can be used for victims of life-threatening illnesses or injuries before they can be given complete medical care.

Having considered that BLS can be provided not only by trained medical personnel, certified first responders, emergency medical technicians, and by qualified bystanders, Councilor Lito del Rosario authored Naga City Ordinance 2017-019 mandating “a community-level disaster preparedness training program to provide every Nagueño family the knowledge and skills necessary to cope with natural and man-induced calamities and emergencies.”

“We should be looking forward for the holding of more activities such as this one that can be of help to capacitate our fellow Naguenos,” Del Rosario said.

Del Rosario said that the city government also plans to conduct similar activity to be participated in by public utility drivers and operators. Last year, the women sector in the city vied in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) competition along with female barangay officials and volunteers in the 27 villages.

Don Leon Mercado High School Grade 11 student Precious Rapiñan said that it took them four months to prepare for the event. “Our participation in this activity does not simply end in enjoyment and fun as we try to take it seriously to better our role as emergency responders.”

Niel Dianela, Capacity Building and Training Section chief of the Office of the Civil Defense, lauded the event organizers saying that the activity can be a good tool to instill the value of self-discipline among the young ones aside from allowing them to see the importance of being helpful to others.

The elementary pupils were taught different bandaging techniques, while high school and college students vied for CPR and bandaging contests.