19 th November 2010 was no ordinary day for one household in Birmingham. This was the day 30 Laerdal Little Annie Resuscitation aids were delivered alongside three Baby Annies. They are part of the British Heart Foundations scheme, HeartStart and being delivered as part of the new affiliation with Warwickshire and Birmingham Wing Air Training Corps.

Within Warwickshire and Birmingham Wing, there are 27 Squadrons who now have access to these fantastic training aids in order to receive basic first aid tuition as a standard part of their training syllabus. To date, first aid is not mandatory in the air cadet syllabus but Warwickshire and Birmingham Wing hope that all new recruits joining the Air Training Corps will receive the HeatStart programme as standard within their first initial three month programme. The team heading up all training within the wing consists of Flying Officer Heather Hart from 1459 (Heart of England) Squadron who will take on role as Scheme Director, Pilot Officer Rosie Robinson from 84 (Coventry Airport) Squadron who will be the Scheme Co-ordinator and Warrant Office Keir Hart from 2504 (Archbishop Grimshaw School) Squadron taking the role as Training Supervisor. All three are trained to First Aid at Work standard minimum and are passionate about passing on their knowledge of First Aid to the young men and women in the Wing.

Pilot Officer Rosie Robinson said, “It's not only about teaching a skill and gaining certificates but adopting an approach to all activities and events that the cadets and staff will be taking part in. If there is an incident, the cadets will instinctively know and be trained in the crucial skills to maintain life for the casualty.”

On 21 st November 2010 , 11 cadets from 2504 Squadron were the first lucky students in the first Warwickshire and Birmingham Wing official HeartStart programme following successful trials at 84 Squadron. The programme consists of four basic lessons in unconscious casualties, non-breathing casualties, procedures for dealing with major bleeding and demonstrations in how to deal with choking victim and those with suspected heart attacks. The short programme utilises the resuscitation Annie training aids in all aspects of the training syllabus and without the affiliation with the British Heart Foundation the training would not be possible.

Flying officer Heather Hart said, “This is a vital skill that can be required to save the life of any person young or old. I hope that the cadets never need to use it during their normal activities, but their knowledge could have an impact on their communities. I hope that as many staff as possible make themselves available for training.”

And so to the future. Following the successful first completion of the scheme, the training team are now ready to book up visits to other squadrons within the wing in order to teach both cadets and staff. The Annies will be divided and stored at three separate locations so that all 27 squadrons have ease of access to the training aids and materials. To date 6 units have requested cadet and instructor training, and it is hoped that all will be active in the scheme by Easter.