It’s not common for adults 40 and older to have heart attacks, but it’s surprising when teenagers experience cardiac arrest. “During a workout this summer, Bronny James, Lebron James’ son, experienced cardiac arrest,” but he was saved due to an automated defibrillator (AED).
An AED is used to help people who have gone into sudden cardiac arrest. It restores the heart rhythm to normal. It first checks the heart rhythm to make sure it’s okay, If not it will send an electric shock to the heart that way it returns to its original heart rhythm. Having and knowing how to operate this machine has helped over 1,700 lives a year.
In 2018, California passed a law mandating all public schools to have one AED on campus in a location near an athletic competition. For safety reasons, our district has added one more to ensure the safety of the students. Our two automated defibrillators are located in the 200 hall and main gym.
“The district is the one who provides them for us,” athletic director Jose Gil said. “We’ve asked again this year for us to get at least one more for the stadium.”
The importance of knowing how to use this machine can help save a life. Like CPR training, it allows individuals to be prepared for a situation that may need to be assisted with an AED.
The school district makes sure it follows all the laws regarding AEDs on campus. The main focus is being prepared for emergencies, so the Athletic Directors ensure that they’re available and charged.
“There currently is no plan to add another unit at the sites beyond the two that are available,” Superintendent Dan Burns said.
The school’s safety committee is the one that makes sure they’re available in case of an emergency. Athletic Coaches are required to update their training regularly, and staff are invited to get trained if they want.
“Training is a great idea for everyone, I think that’s an area of improvement on our part that we have to improve on,” Gil said.
Cardiac arrest doesn’t happen too often, but despite the fact that they rarely occur, it should be a priority to put the students’ and staff’s safety as a top priority.
Organizations, such as the American Red Cross Association have pushed for schools to have them on campus, so much so that they’ve granted the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services access to AEDs so elementary and secondary schools can have them.
Recently the mandatory necessity of these in schools has been growing from state to state. With the help of getting the word out and adding more of them in public places and even schools, it reduced the number of deaths that have occurred due to the help of an AED.
You can find lots of websites that offer information on AED classes. Some charge a lot, but you don’t have to spend that much. This class gives you the same training for just $14.95 until 12/3 for first-time users! With this, you also receive a 2-year certification that’s accepted in all 50 states. The American Red Cross also offers classes with diverse courses based on your location. Simply input the desired course, and it will display available options along with corresponding prices.
