Dialing 9-1-1 can be a link between life and death. Now, Southside ISD’s nurse Heather Siebert, R.N. is doing all she can to teach children what to do in the event of an emergency. “There may not be an impact today or tomorrow, but 10 years from now, they might remember the song or the process that they learned when they were five years old,” Nurse Siebert said. Last year, Siebert began the Teddy Bear CPR program at Menchaca Early Childhood Center. She uses small teddy bears as an easy introduction to CPR and dialing 9-1-1 in an emergency. When stories about Siebert’s program were initially broadcast, the Bexar Metro 9-1-1 Network saw the story on TV and knew they wanted to be a part of it. Now, the Bexar Metro 9-1-1 Network is donating a thousand teddy bears to Menchaca Early Childhood Center’s kindergarten class. “We like to say, seconds count. So, the faster you can get help to someone in need, the better. Letting children know about CPR or how to make a 9-1-1 call can benefit anyone,” said the Bexar Metro 9-1-1 Network’s Zelenia Alvarez. The 9-1-1 Network also plans on providing dummies for CPR training. A move that made the Menchaca Nurse very happy. The 9-1-1 Network says the partnership is exactly what it wanted. “I think we’re the winners here. If we can get this information to kids and get them to recognize what CPR is, I think it’s a great thing,” Alvarez said.
