BV First Responders Club helping out

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This school year, a group of students at Buckeye Valley High School have stepped in to help during emergency situations thanks to their training in the school’s First Responders Club.

Delaware County EMS Lt. Travis Ries said the club was started several years ago and focuses on providing students with training in CPR and first aid, while also teaching them how to stop bleeding from an injury. Ries said he volunteered to teach the club when the program started because he thought it could be a valuable experience for students.

“There’s a lot of aspects that this is good for,” Ries said. “It helps kids deal with emergencies. Hopefully, it brings more kids into a career of public safety.”

Ries was proven correct when two students, senior David Stewart and sophomore Trent Derwent, stepped up during different emergency situations at the school last year.

Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputy and School Resource Officer Fred Strawser said that last semester, a student in the cafeteria had a seizure, and Stewart was in the room and helped “get everyone situated” until emergency personnel could arrive.

Stewart said he was happy to be of service.

“I’m just glad I could help somebody,” Stewart said. “The training that we’ve received from (Ries) is amazing.”

Stewart said he joined the club because he was interested in public safety. He never imagined it would end up helping him choose his career path.

“I thought this would be a good thing to get into,” Stewart said. “I’m also taking our intro to public safety (class). … (They’ve) made me realize that this is definitely what I want to do. The club made me realize what I want to do and the best way I’d be able to help people.”

Stewart said he plans to join the military police after he graduates and plans to become a first responder after he leaves the military.

Strawser said that in the second incident, a shop teacher cut their hand open in class, and Derwent immediately retrieved the first-aid kit and assisted the teacher until Ries arrived to put a tourniquet on.

Derwent said he was glad to “finally be able to put to use what I’ve learned,” adding he joined the club because his family runs a horse farm and he thought basic first aid could be useful to know.

Strawser praised Derwent for helping to keep everything calm while help was on the way.

Ries added he’s happy the students were able to help in both situations.

“Trent acted right away and was able to give that extra level of comfort,” Ries said. “I hate to have a bad incident happen, but I’m glad he was there. It’s amazing. It shows we’re doing some good with this.”

Strawser said the club, which usually has around six or seven students, has also helped out in numerous less intense situations at the school.

Ries said the club has caught the attention of other school districts in Delaware County as well as some districts in neighboring counties.

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