Prepared for Heart Attacks:
Schools Deploy Defibrillators, Train Staff

( January 22, 2003 ) “Place the electrodes on the patient’s bare chest,” directs an authoritative male voice emanating from a device the size of a laptop computer.

“Do not touch the patient,” he continues.

The directions are coming from an “automated external defibrillator,” displayed at a meeting of the Mamaroneck School Board on January 14, 2003 by Athletic Director Dave McGuckin.

The defibrillator, or “AED”, contains everything you need to monitor the condition of a heart attack victim and administer shock treatment, when appropriate. There are electrodes, instructions, and even a razor for shaving the chest of hirsute patients. Furthermore, when you open the case, that commanding voice tells you everything you need to know.

A New York State Law passed last Spring required all schools to acquire defibrillators and have them accessible by December 1 of 2002. “We were well ahead of a lot of school districts on getting the training and equipment,” said McGuckin. “So when the deadline came down, we were in good shape.”

At this point, there is at least one defibrillator mounted on the wall in each of the six school buildings plus two “floaters.” Getting them there took an extensive amount of research and coordination with the vendor, Cardiac Science. McGuckin credits Gay Harmon, supervisor of nursing, with “doing all the leg-work.”

“The trick is to locate them so they are accessible within 3 to 5 minutes,” reported McGuckin. In a building as large and rambling as the high school, they’ve had to place three units: one on the wall outside the custodian’s office, the athletic office and the nurse’s suite. The units are mounted on the wall, anyone can open a door to retrieve the pack, but that triggers a very loud alarm, which both deters thieves and brings help.

Having so many devices is critical, but equally important is training the staff. To date, more than 200 district staff members have taken the training, including Superintendent Sherry King. In the past month, there has been an overwhelming response to the nine courses offered in the district and three extra classes have been added. McGuckin praised Hommocks nurses Lori Toppi and Karen Cofino, who lead the courses and provide the CPR and defibrillator training in the district, making it convenient for staff.

Fortunately, Mamaroneck has not had any health emergencies requiring the defibrillators. However, New York City has had a number of students stricken at school or at school-related sporting events in just the past few weeks. According to the New York Times: a 19-year old high school junior collapsed while playing basketball in the Bronx, a 16-year old girl with Down syndrome collapsed while in class on Staten Island, and 13 year-old Brooklynite collapsed after running in the gym for less than two minutes.” Defibrillators might have made a difference in these cases.

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