cleveland fireA joint initiative between Cleveland Fire Brigade and Hartlepool College of Further Education will see students given 30-minute sessions on the basics of CPR before carrying out the lifesaving manoeuvre.

It’s not the first time that firefighters have worked together with College bosses to get key safety messages across to students, with Les Jones, Head of Community Safety for CFB highlighting how the Brigade has a very close working relationship with colleges throughout Cleveland.

"Following the high-profile incident last year when Bolton Wanderers player Fabrice Muamba collapsed on the pitch and his heart stopped, this triggered staff at Hartlepool College of Further Education to set up a day of CPR training for students, working alongside Cleveland Fire Brigade and the British Heart Foundation," he said.

"It was a great success with students thoroughly benefitting from the training so we have decided to team up once again to raise the importance of CPR. CPR skills are easy enough to learn and you never know when you are going to need them. It’s a simple skill that could make all the difference to help save someone’s life."

Shaun Hope of Hartlepool College of Further Education, added: "Our long-standing relationship with Cleveland Fire Brigade has brought lots of excellent opportunities for our students but none of these opportunities have ever accessed as many people in such a short space of time as the Save a Life day.

"It’s great to see so many of our students and staff gaining this essential training in such a fun and exciting manner."