Teachers in Pembrokeshire are being trained in emergency aid so as to be able to teach simple life- saving skills to their pupils. Almost 30 teachers from across the county have taken part in two training courses as part of a Heartstart UK schools initiative. Under the scheme, teachers and pupils learn vital first aid skills such as Cardio Pulmonary Resucitation (CPR), the recovery position and how to deal with bleeding, choking and a suspected heart attack. "Knowing what to do in a life-threatening emergency can help save lives," said Mandy Johns, Pembrokeshire County Council PE and school sport co-ordinator, who helped organise the training sessions. "The British Heart Foundation says that the benefit of a bystander performing CPR on someone suffering a heart attack outside hospital is significant," she said. "The most important factor determining survival after a cardiac arrest is the time from the collapse of the casualty to defibrillation. Performing CPR buys time and more than doubles the chance of survival." Heartstart UK schools is co-ordinated by the British Heart Foundation, which has trained over 1.4m people through its Heartstart UK initiative. The course and resource pack enables teachers to deliver training to pupils, as young as four or five, usually as part of their curriculum, with many schools keen to introduce the scheme through their involvement with the Health Promoting Schools initiative. Mandy Johns has organised two teacher training courses this term, in conjunction with Bryn Hazelden of the Welsh Ambulance Service. Twenty-nine teachers from nine primary schools and two secondary schools in the county have already been trained, with a third training day arranged for Friday, May 9. Schools interested in training should first register with the BHF in London - contact 08450 708070 - and then contact Helen Morris, of Pembrokehshire's Education Service, on 01437 775201, to reserve a place on the next course.