March 30, 2009
On
Saturday, March 28, 2009 the Staten Island Campus of St. John’s
University, in partnership with the American Red Cross, conducted
CPR/AED life saving training. More than fifteen individuals
representing local Staten Island high schools participated in the
one-day session, along with St. John’s students, administrators and
facilities personnel.
“The first training event went extremely well and the American
Red Cross supplied two instructors which helped to further
personalize the session,” said Gerard A. McEnerney, Assistant Vice
President and Executive Director of the Staten Island Campus. “St.
John’s is committed to maintaining a high level of emergency
preparedness on all of its campuses and, in line with the
University’s Vincentian Mission, shares its knowledge and resources
to provide valuable service-learning opportunities in neighboring
communities.”
The training sessions are designed for local high school
representatives, university administrators and members of the
Staten Island community. Each person who completes the
training receives a CPR/AED certification from the American Red
Cross. The training is renewable on a yearly basis. 
St. John’s University and the American Red Cross in Greater New
York signed a partnership agreement on February 5, 2009. As
part of this partnership, both parties have come together to
implement a plan to prevent, prepare for and respond to disasters
that may affect the University’s Staten Island Campus and the
Staten Island community at large. The plan includes:
housing ARC/GNY emergency supply containers (cots, blankets, flood
kits, etc.) on the Staten Island Campus, making classrooms
available for disaster and lifesaving training, and developing
ARC/GNY Academic Response Teams.
Plans are also underway to pre-deploy emergency ARC/GNY
emergency supply containers to the St. John’s Queens Campus and to
also have emergency supplies at the University’s Manhattan Campus,
as well as continue the CPR/AED training free of charge.
"We are proud to be working with St. John’s to help both the
University and the Staten Island community prepare for disasters,
both big and small,” said ARC/GNY CEO Theresa Bischoff. “This will
be accomplished through our multi-pronged program with St. John’s,
inclusive of these lifesaving training sessions with local high
schools, the immediate availability of the emergency supplies
stored in the containers on St. John’s campus, and initiatives like
the Academic Volunteer Emergency Response Team (AVERT) where
students will be trained by the Red Cross and the University so
that they will be able to assist in emergencies on campus and
within the local community.”
About American Red Cross
The American Red Cross in Greater New York is a key humanitarian
partner and a vital participant in New York’s plans and programs to
help the nine million people in New York City and Orange, Putnam,
Rockland and Sullivan counties prevent, prepare for and respond to
emergencies. ARC/GNY responds to an average of 8 to 10 emergencies
a day, including fires, floods, building collapses and power
outages and responds to approximately 150 disasters per year in
Staten Island.
The Chapter also helps New York residents and businesses prepare
for emergencies by offering hundreds of lifesaving courses and
emergency preparedness training programs and resources. ARC/GNY is
not a government agency, and relies on donations to fund its free
humanitarian services. For more information about how you can help,
call 1-877-RED CROSS (1-877-733-2767), or visit www.nyredcross.org.