Building a Safer Campus: UTEFR Enhances First Aid Training with Support from the Skule™ Endowment Fund

The University of Toronto Emergency First Responder (UTEFR) team is proud to announce that we have received funding from the Skule™ Endowment Fund (SEF) to significantly enhance our first aid training capacity. Through this sponsorship, UTEFR has acquired four Little Anne QCPR Manikins and one High-Performance Full Body Resusci Anne QCPR Manikin, improving the quality, accessibility, and impact of our CPR and first aid training for both engineering students and the broader University of Toronto community.

This project marks a major milestone in UTEFR’s ongoing mission to empower individuals with essential life-saving skills. Each year, UTEFR delivers first aid training and event coverage to more than 3,000 participants, including members of Skule™ Patrol, Orientation Week volunteers, and attendees at major engineering events such as Skule™ Nite. With the integration of these advanced QCPR manikins—offering real-time feedback on compression depth, ventilation quality, and overall CPR performance—our training programs will be more engaging, accurate, and aligned with the most current resuscitation standards.

The support of the Skule™ Endowment Fund ensures that UTEFR can continue providing hands-on, evidence-based instruction that builds confidence and preparedness across our campus. These high-quality training tools are expected to serve our programs for 10 to 15 years, benefiting thousands of students and helping to shape a generation of confident, capable responders.

In Canada, only 42% of bystanders perform CPR during cardiac arrest emergencies—a gap UTEFR is committed to closing by expanding access to high-quality, practical training. By funding this initiative, SEF is directly contributing to a safer campus and empowering students to act when every second counts.

UTEFR extends its deepest gratitude to the Skule™ Endowment Fund committee for their generous investment in our mission. SEF’s dedication to enhancing the undergraduate experience and supporting initiatives that benefit both students and the community perfectly aligns with our goal of creating a more prepared and resilient campus.

Together, we are building a stronger, safer, and more compassionate University of Toronto community—one heartbeat at a time.