Southwestern staff members receive first response training

In preparation for the new semester, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s Human Resources (HR) department partnered with emergency responders to help train and certify Southwestern faculty and staff in CPR and other means of emergency assistance.

The trainers equipped 24 participants from across the campus with training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), use of an automated external defibrillator (AED), and first aid knowledge, with the goal that in the event of a health emergency on campus, the staff would be able to quickly respond themselves, rather than having to rely solely on first responders.

HR has held two of these trainings in the last year leading up to each semester, however this most recent training was more unique in that not only could Southwestern staff voluntarily participate, but all campus resident assistants (RAs) and resident directors (RDs) were required to attend as well.

“We want to make sure that our RDs and RAs are able to respond appropriately in an emergency situation,” said Deanna Kiser, the associate vice president for human resources. “And so, we want to train them annually.”

Kiser explained the department’s rationale for having so many CPR and AED certified responders on campus.

“We want to make sure that in every building there is somebody who is certified within a general vicinity,” Kiser said.

Kiser elaborated on the processes taught in the class and the importance of having people on hand 24/7 who are properly trained to handle emergency situations.

“It doesn’t just train you how to do that thing or that task, it trains our certified people how to manage that emergency situation,” Kiser explained. “They become the expert, and until an official first responder—paramedic, fire, police—arrive on the scene, they learn to function as the authority for that situation.”

Finally, Kiser emphasized the importance of the AED certification specifically and reminded that there are defibrillators accessible in every building on campus.

“We have several people here that have had heart attacks and have been in those scenarios,” Kiser said. “So, I hope that those people feel more comfortable knowing that we want to make sure that we can help if necessary. If they were to have something happen, that they know we’ve done our best to prepare the campus to deal with that.”

Chloe Purcell, the resident director of Barnard Hall, was thrilled with the initiative to train the RAs this semester.

“Usually RDs, we get trained, but this time, they also wanted our resident assistants to be trained, which I think is great,” Purcell said. “Because they’re really the ones in the dorm rooms with the students more than we are. And so, if anyone’s going to respond to an emergency, it’s probably going to be them.”

Purcell elaborated on the significance of having people capable of responding to emergencies directly in the dorms with students, emphasizing the importance of every minute being saved in responding to a medical emergency.

“I definitely think it’s absolutely beneficial,” Purcell concluded. “I feel a lot more at peace knowing that my RAs have that training to be able to respond in that way.”