At Essex & Herts Air Ambulance (EHAAT), we are fully supportive of the Resuscitation Council UK in their mission to improve the uptake of CPR education in schools. Through our own CPR Smart programme, we’re already making great strides in supporting schools across Essex and Hertfordshire with the knowledge and tools they need to teach this lifesaving skill.

Everyone can save a life by learning CPR. Everyone can use a defibrillator to make a difference.

Launched in 2024, CPR Smart offers dedicated support to schools and teachers across both counties. By empowering educators and sixth formers to become School CPR Champions, we’re helping to build a ripple effect that will see thousands more young people trained in CPR.

These Champions work closely with our experienced flight paramedics to ensure the training they deliver is accurate, engaging, and effective. Our programme was inspired by research published in the British Medical Journal (2016), which explored the barriers schools face in delivering CPR training. Read the article here.

The response so far has been incredible. More schools are signing up to CPR Smart every week, and the enthusiasm from teachers and students alike is driving real change. For EHAAT, this work is personal: every day, our crews are called to patients who’ve suffered sudden cardiac arrests. We know that when CPR is delivered quickly—by loved ones, friends, or even total strangers—it can dramatically improve outcomes.

Adam Carr, Critical Care Paramedic and Clinical Community Lead at EHAAT, says: “Every day we see the impact of good quality CPR. Everyone can do this, and it makes such a difference to outcomes. Our charity has invested significant resources to help make things better, and we’re committed to doing even more.”

Dr Gareth Grier, Associate Medical Director and lead for EHAAT’s Centre for Excellence, adds: “We’re really pleased to see schools finding creative ways to fit this vital training into their busy schedules. The School CPR Champion programme is one of our proudest achievements in recent years as we know it’s already making a difference out there. Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time. With more people trained in CPR, we can improve outcomes together.”

To support even more people in learning this lifesaving skill, we’ve also created short instructional videos. These are freely available and designed to help anyone learn CPR quickly—hopefully before you ever need to use it.

Because saving a life is something everyone can do.