Schools Seeing Wisdom in
Having Defibrillators
By Maria Glod, Washingtonpost.com
April 10th, 2005
Loudoun County has them. So does Fauquier. Now Fairfax
County school officials are considering placing portable
defibrillators, devices that could save the life of
someone in cardiac arrest, in all schools and administration
buildings, and training staff members to use them.
School officials said the district would need 580
Automated External Defibrillators, or AEDs, to ensure
that one could be reached in minutes from any office,
classroom or gymnasium should a student, staff member
or visitor collapse without warning. The laptop-size
device delivers a jolt of electricity that can restore
a normal heartbeat.
School Board Member Stuart D. Gibson (Hunter Mill)
said it makes sense to place the user-friendly devices
in schools.
"We have people who would be alive today if
we had AEDs," Gibson said. "They are very
effective and safe when adults are trained to use
them. It's a whole new generation of technology that
can save lives."
AEDs have become increasingly common in public places
in recent years. Arlington County schools also have
AEDs, and the devices are available at the Fairfax
County Government Center. AEDs also are often found
in airports, stadiums and senior centers.
In Loudoun, the Sterling Rescue Squad funded two
AEDs per high school. The School Board voted to install
one at every middle and elementary school, and they
have been in every school since August.
K. Anne Lewis, the school system's guidance and health
supervisor, said that there are trained AED teams
at every school and that the devices have been taken
to the scene of several incidents since the school
year began, though they have not in the end been needed.
Discussions are underway about purchasing second devices
for some larger elementary and middle schools.
"We're thrilled with this, and I really do believe
they're critical," Lewis said.
At a work session last month, several Fairfax School
Board members indicated they would support the policy;
a vote is scheduled for Thursday. School officials
said that it would cost about $957,000 to purchase
the devices, at about $1,650 each and that they are
still working to find funding. There would be additional
costs for training and maintenance.
Sandy Canfield, a leading advocate of the policy
who has lobbied school officials for more than a year,
said an AED shock might have saved the life of her
15-year-old daughter, Danica, who went into cardiac
arrest during a Robinson Secondary School crew practice
in January 2002 and subsequently died. She wants to
make sure the devices are available -- and that people
know where to find them -- if another student or staff
member ever needs one.
"If parents knew their schools were missing
a $2,000 piece of equipment that would save a life,
then they'd get them in a heartbeat," said Canfield,
who is working with parents nationwide who advocate
for AEDs in schools. "You'd rather have one and
never need it than not have it."
According to the American Red Cross, sudden cardiac
arrest strikes about 220,000 people in the United
States each year, and only about 5 percent survive.
Advocates say the quick use of an AED greatly increases
the chances of survival.
In addition, the devices are easy to use and nearly
foolproof. Voice commands guide a responder through
the process. The devices analyze heart rhythms automatically
and deliver a shock only if it's appropriate.
Like many victims of cardiac arrest, Danica Canfield
suffered from a heart condition but did not know it,
her mother said. The sophomore, described by friends
as friendly and enthusiastic, had passed physicals
and was active.
Robinson was the only Fairfax school that had an
AED when Danica, a music lover who played violin and
was learning guitar, collapsed, Canfield said. But
Canfield, who happened to be at the school that day
and rushed to her daughter's side, said nobody knew
the machine was in the building, and no one retrieved
it.
Two people immediately administered cardiopulmonary
resuscitation as they waited for rescuers, Canfield
said. But as she climbed into the ambulance with her
daughter, she knew Danica would not survive.
"Most people think we'll call 911 and everything
will be fine, but that's only if they get there in
time," Canfield said.
Staff writer Rosalind S. Helderman contributed to
this report. |
