A quiet revolution is taking shape in Victorian classrooms. With a training kit, a manikin, and a clear message—Call, Push, Shock—Ambulance Victoria’s “Kids Save Lives” program is equipping young people with the knowledge that might one day save a neighbour, a parent, or a passer-by.
Now rolled out to even more schools across the state, the initiative encourages students from Years 7 to 10 to learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED). It’s the kind of hands-on training that doesn’t just stay in the classroom.
“Our Kids Save Lives program contains essential learning and life-saving skills,” said Danielle North, Ambulance Victoria’s Executive Director of Regional Operations. “Students will not only be able to share their knowledge with friends and family, but also with their wider community.”
Each year, Ambulance Victoria responds to thousands of cardiac arrest cases outside hospital settings. Last year alone, the number stood at 7,545. And while Victoria has one of the best survival rates globally, there is little comfort in the odds—only one in ten people who suffer a cardiac arrest will survive.
That statistic is even more confronting when you consider that four out of five of these incidents happen at home.
“We hope this training will help save many Victorian lives,” North added.
One of the schools leading the charge is Crusoe College in Kangaroo Flat. Tammy Nancarrow, the Secondary School Nurse, has embedded the training into the Year 9 Health curriculum. She says the response from students has been enthusiastic and engaged.
“These skills are vital for everyone to learn, especially adolescents,” Nancarrow said. “We’ve had lots of hands on, lots of questions. The students have really engaged with the learning.”
The course breaks things down into three simple, unforgettable steps: Call Triple Zero (000), Push (start CPR), and Shock (use an AED). The approach is practical, repeatable, and based on international best practice.
It also draws on a network of partners, including the Heart Foundation, Monash University, the Australian Resuscitation Council, the Department of Education and Training, and Heart of the Nation—a group founded by original Yellow Wiggle Greg Page, who himself survived a cardiac arrest in 2020.
For Chris Enright, the Heart Foundation’s Victorian General Manager, the benefits of early training are clear.
“Educating children is a successful way to reach the entire population,” Enright said. “Children can be encouraged to teach others.”
She points to overseas examples where similar programs have taken root—Sweden, France, Denmark, Norway, and the UK. These countries now rank among the highest globally for bystander CPR and survival rates.
Closer to home, more than 5,300 students from 35 schools have already signed up for the pilot expansion. With 2025 on the horizon, Ambulance Victoria is encouraging more schools to get on board.
The World Health Organisation recommends starting CPR training as early as age 12, and returning to it annually. That’s echoed by the Kids Save Lives position statement, which is backed by both WHO and the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR).
“You don’t have to be a paramedic to save a life,” the program reminds students. “You just need to be able to perform CPR and know how to use an AED.”
Victorian teachers who are interested in learning more about the free of charge Kids Save Lives program can email community.engagement@ambulance.vic.gov.au
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