Deifb's in schools.

[CAM502 6]

So lately I noticed that schools have defib's on the walls in various locations. But in a school that will remain nameless they had the boxs locked. So what I am asking is who is trained to use them? And are they allowed to be locked?

[mikeinet 37]

Were they really locked (key access)? I know most boxes are "locked" and if opened set off an alarm of some sort

[Cutty630 37]

I work at John Jay high school in cross river and they have defib's all around the school, as well as each coach for a team is issued a defib to carry to the game or practice. The ones in the school aren't locked but are enclosed in a box which when opened makes a loud buzzing sound. Everyday the custodian who opens the building has to check each wall unit to verify that the battery is ok and that everything is with the unit. (Disposable razor, gloves,face mask and the pads for child/adult)

As far as I know they train whoever wants to do it as well as it's manditory for some like the gym/sport instructors. I believe that when the students learn CPR they also learn how to operate the dfib. All the custodians that I work with also have been CPR/ DEFIB trained since we are always there.

[RWC130 594]

I am pretty sure a NYS law was passed not long ago that ALL schools must have an AED. I remember hearing something to that effect.

The AED is pretty much Idiot Proof and will walk you thru the steps. As soon as the machine in opened or power turned on:

1. "Place Electrodes"

2. "Press to Analyze" (Some Analyze by themself)

3. "Stand Clear"

4. "Shock Indicated, Charging"

(Note the cool charging sounds vary by unit)

5. "Press to Shock"

You have Lifepack, Zoll, Cardiac Science, Laerdal, Etc...

I hear ALSFirefighter teaches a good AED class.

"YOU, GO CALL 911 AND GET AN AED"

[JM15 386]

our schools in Somers have them, so do the sports teams on the first day of practice this year our coach took the fastest kid and timed him on how fast he can run and get the AED from the locker room and run back

[Guest]

What happens if the fastest kid is the one who needs the AED? :-k Seriously though, I think it's a really good idea, and kudos to the "You call 911 and AED quote," very funny.

[Guest alsfirefighter]

As posted the law requires them in school, but reviewing it, I can't find anywhere where it says they have to be accessible to everyone.

Thanks RWC, just remember that real pads don't work well with manakins.

[Guest]

Quick question, when I recerted my BLS CPR I found out that AHA had changed its guidelines so that you can use an AED on a peds patient (1-8 y/o) after 1 minute of CPR. Peds pads are prefered, but if you don't have them you can use the adult pads as long as they dont touch (and you can put one pad on the front and back of the child if they don't fit in their normal spot). I was wondering if NYS has changed its BLS protcols too. Thanks for the help.

[mikeinet 37]

Actually it shouldn't be so they "don't touch" - one pad should be on the child's chest while the other should be on the child's back (front + back)... which would probably happen anyway with adult pads even if you didn't try to do that since the pads are so oversized for the child.

[CAM502 6]

Thanx for all the info guys. And yes it was locked with a padlock.

[fitzjr11 17]

Most Defib units in school have an alarm w/ it when opened. School's have procedures and a team that will respond if AED iis needed. Defib in schools has become a state mandate

[Guest]

Ok, can I get a clarification on the current NYS EMT protocols for AED use in minors, because the AHA said you should place adult pads (if you don't have peds pads) as you would on an adult unless they touch, in which case you do one on the front and one on the back. Also if the peds pads are too large to be used without overlapping would you use them on the front and back, or would that only occur on a peds patinet under the age of 1.

[mstrang1 213]

I remember reading an article last year sometime(forget where it was?), but the jist of the article was that a game could not be played because no AED was present.

[mikeinet 37]

I can't find a real list of the protocols online anywhere - so tomorrow afternoon I'll go downstairs and get my binder of the printed policies and let you know

[RWC130 594]

New York State United Teachers

Introduction

In May 2002, legislation was approved to require all public school districts, BOCES, county vocational education and extension boards, and charter schools, to provide and maintain on-site, in each instructional school facility, at least one functional automated external defibrillator (AED). An AED is a device that is used to restore a normal heartbeat in an individual who has experienced sudden cardiac arrest. The AED provides an electrical shock to the heart, which helps to restore a normal rhythm.

The legislation also requires public school officials and administrators responsible for such school facilities to ensure the presence of at least one staff person who is trained in the operation and use of an AED.

In August 2002, an amendment to the legislation was adopted that allowed school districts, BOCES, county vocational and extension boards, and charter schools that are unable to comply with the new law by September 1, 2002, to delay implementation until December 1, 2002.

Table of Contents

GENERAL INFORMATION

What Does Education Law §917 Mandate? 

When must a district provide an Automated External Defibrillator and a trained staff person? 

What requirements must be met for a district to be a Public Access Defibrillator (PAD) provider? 

How many AEDs will districts need? 

Who will use the AEDs? Can our members be mandated? Should we be bargaining over this? 

LIABILITY

What if something goes wrong during the use of an AED? What protections do our members have? 

TRAINING

Where can districts get training for staff who would use AEDs ? Is there training for using pediatric AEDs? When should training be held? 

How will districts pay for AEDs and where can they get them? 

What should a district do to effectively plan and support a PAD program? 

See also: Questions and Answers Regarding Implementation of Section 917 Automated External Defibrillators in Schools: Round 2

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

GENERAL INFORMATION

What Does Education Law §917 Require?

Section 917 of Education Law requires all school districts to become Public Access Defibrillator providers in accordance with Public Health Law 3000-b. Prior to the passage of Section 917, school districts were encouraged to voluntarily become PAD providers. 

Under Public Health Law 3000-b all school districts, BOCES, county vocational education and extension boards, and charter schools must provide and maintain on-site, in each instructional school facility, at least one functional automated external defibrillator (AED) for use during emergencies. The legislation also requires public school officials and administrators responsible for such school facilities to ensure the presence of at least one staff person who is trained in the operation and use of an AED. 

Public access defibrillation programs allow trained lay people to use an automated type of defibrillator in combination with CPR. In 1998, Chapter 552 of Public Health Law was passed, authorizing Public Access Defibrillation to ensure greater public availability to AEDs. 

When must a district provide an AED and a trained staff person?

An AED must be available whenever public school facilities (including school districts, BOCES, county vocational education and extension or a charter school) are used for school sponsored or approved curricular or extracurricular activities and events, including athletic contests. 

A school sponsored athletic event means both extraclass intramural activity of instruction, practice and competition for students in grades 4-12 and interschool competitive athletic events of instruction, practice or competition for students in grades 7-12 held at any location, even non-public school facilities. 

The International Consensus on Science, Guidelines 2000 for Cardio-pulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care suggests that each instructional school facility should develop a plan that enables trained staff to respond to a victim's collapse within 4 to 5 minutes. (Source: Vol. 102, #8. American Heart Association. August 2000.) 

What requirements must be met for a district to be a PAD provider? Each PAD provider must:

Give specific notification of intent to the local Regional Emergency Medical Services Council and the Department of Health (DOH). A link to the listing of regional councils can be found at

http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/rscs/chaps/

Health%20Services/AED_WebPage.htm. 

Identify a physician or hospital knowledgeable and experienced in emergency cardiac care to serve as "emergency health care provider (EHCP)" and participate in a collaborative agreement with the district. 

Select an approved training course for designated AED users. 

Develop a written collaborative agreement with the EHCP. The collaborative agreement must include at least the following: - written practice protocols for the use of the AED - written policies and procedures which: 

provide training requirements for AED users; 

ensure immediate calling of 911; 

ensure ready identification of the location of the AED units; 

provide for regular maintenance and checkout procedures of the AED unit(s) which meet or exceed manufacturers recommendations; 

detail documentation requirements; and 

define participation in a regionally approved quality improvement program. 

Provide written notice to 911 and/or the community equivalent ambulance dispatch entity of the availability of AED service at the organization's location. 

File a copy of the "Notice of Intent to Provide PAD" (DOH 4135) with the Regional Emergency Medical Services Council (REMSCO) in the area, along with a signed copy of the Collaborative Agreement with the EHCP. 

How many AEDs will districts and BOCES need?

Districts must consider: size and physical layout of the building, number and ages of individuals in the building, types and locations of athletic events, location of curricular and extracurricular events, and other design features that might be unique to the facility. 

Strategic placement and availability of AEDs, as well as trained staff, are critical to the school's PAD program. 

Who will use the AEDs? Can our members be mandated? Should the local be bargaining over this?

As a general rule, the Taylor Law provides that the addition of a duty is mandatorily negotiable if the additional duty is not inherently part of the employee's existing duty description. On the other hand, if the additional work is inherently part of the employee's regular duties, the employer has no duty to negotiate the decision to require it. In either case, the employer has a duty to bargain the impact of the additional work assignment if the union demands impact bargaining. Therefore, those employees who are already required, as part of their regular duties, to provide emergency care response, can be required to perform AED use without negotiation of the decision. To the extent that the union is able to reach agreement with the employer that AED users will be identified as a result of voluntary participation, bargaining concerning the impact of the additional responsibility remains an option available to the union. 

Issues appropriate for bargaining are:

payment for training time if outside the normal working hours; 

reinforcement of liability protection under Education and Public Officers laws; 

clarification that training in AED use does not add this duty to the scope of a job title; 

ability to decline assignment; 

specification of use - when, on whom, for what events; 

on-call, overtime payments or stipends; 

clarification of district responsibility for maintenance and security of AEDs. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LIABILITY

What if something goes wrong during the use of an AED? What protections do our members have?

Sections 3023 and 3811 of Education Law and Public Officers Law Section 18 require school districts and BOCES to "save harmless," defend and indemnify employees in certain circumstances. Employees are protected from financial loss in negligence action and indemnified in any action, where such negligence or other action arises out of the performance of the employee's duties and are within the scope of her/his employment.

In addition, if a person is trained voluntarily and without compensation and uses an AED, there is liability protection through state Public Health Law Section 3000. Section 3000 liability would not cover employees who are mandated to be AED users and/or who receive compensation (i.e. stipends). It would also not cover those employees whose job titles normally include emergency care response as part of their role. These employees, however, would have liability indemnification under Education Law sections 3023 and 3811 and under Public Officers Law Section 18.

Locals and staff are encouraged to meet with district administration to specify member duties regarding AED use and to clarify all issues of liability.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TRAINING

Where can districts get training for their AED users? Is there training for using pediatric AEDs? When should training be held?

A list of contact information on approved training providers may be found at the following web site: 

http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/rscs/chaps/

Health%20Services/AED_WebPage.htm. 

Currently there is no approved PAD training course for the use of pediatric-modified AEDs. The New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Emergency Medical Services, indicated that PAD training that includes Infant CPR, Child CPR, Adult AED, and manufacturer's guidelines on the use of the defibrillator with children under the age of 8, would meet the requirements for PAD programs using an FDA approved pediatric-modified AED. 

Districts may use Safety/Risk Management CoSer No. 7470 to provide training, conduct building assessments, and conduct drills. 

Training should be held during the regular workday. If this is not possible, staff should be paid for their time attending the training during off-hours. 

How will districts pay for AEDs and where can they get them?

Manufacturers of approved AEDs can be found on the following web page:

http://unix32.nysed.gov:9210/rscs/chaps/

Health%20Services/AED-Manufacturers.doc

[Microsoft Word document] 

Information about potential funding sources is available from the National Center for Early Defibrillation at web site:

http://www.early-defib.org/03_06_05.html 

Your State Assembly and Senate representative may be interested in this issue and support targeted funding for your district. 

To facilitate purchase of AEDs: School districts may use Cooperative Bidding Coordination CoSer No. 7011 (cooperative purchasing service). 

What should a district do to effectively plan and support a PAD program?

The State Education Department has identified the following elements as essential in the planning and support of a district's public access defibrillation (PAD) program: 

A core emergency response team of trained personnel, including the school nurse, and a method to activate the team; 

A well-defined emergency plan that clearly states all policies and procedures relative to the use of an automatic electronic defibrillator (AED); 

Strategic placement and availability of the AED unit(s); 

A rapid and effective communication system, especially with regard to events held at remote locations; 

Initial training, periodic refresher sessions, and systematic retraining of appropriate staff in CPR, including the use of AEDs; 

Regular maintenance of the AED unit(s) according to the manufacturer's specifications 

Periodic testing and repair/replacement of non-functioning units; 

Reporting the use of an AED to the collaborating emergency health care provider, who in turn is required to report to the Regional Emergency Medical Services Council; and 

Physician oversight.

[RWC130 594]

New York State United Teachers

Defibrillator saves a life as law takes effect

Heart restarted at Long Island football game

December 4, 2002

Two weeks before the effective date of a new state law mandating portable defibrillators at schools, the need for the law became crystal clear at a Nov. 16 Long Island football game.

Just before the kickoff of a playoff game between Locust Valley and Seaford, a 62-year-old spectator collapsed in the stands. Whittney Smith, the Locust Valley team's athletic trainer, heard the crowd's cries for help and went running.

As soon as he realized the man was suffering a heart attack, Smith called for the school's automatic defibrillator, which was stored on the sidelines in a motorized cart filled with emergency equipment.

"We shocked him once and his heart started beating for a little over a minute, but then it stopped," recalled Smith, a member of Locust Valley School Employees. "We shocked him a second time and he literally came back to life. He started breathing again and, by the time the emergency medical people started loading him to go to the hospital, he even started talking." While Smith was operating the defibrillator, a doctor was starting an intravenous line.

Smith, a special education teacher at Locust Valley Middle School, had never used a defibrillator before, "other than on a mannequin." But everything went as he expected after training about three years ago. "It did everything it was supposed to do," he said. "It's an incredible machine."

The next night Smith and his wife visited the grateful fan at Nassau County Medical Center. "He was doing great and very happy to be alive," Smith said. "He was also very happy we had a defibrillator on the sidelines."

Smith said his district purchased the automated external defibrillator three years ago - after the death of Louis Acompora, a Northport High student who collapsed and died during a 2000 lacrosse game.

On Dec. 1, a new state law requires all school districts - including BOCES and charter schools - to make AEDs available. Districts also must provide at least one trained staff person at school-sponsored curricular and extra-curricular events.

New York State United Teachers lobbied for the law, passed by the Legislature last spring. The statewide union worked for the law's passage at the urging of Port Jervis fifth-grade teacher Rachel Moyer, who lost her 10th-grade son Gregory in December 2000 when he collapsed and died during a basketball game at a rural high school 25 miles from the nearest hospital.

Every second counts

"The governor and legislative leaders deserve the thanks of every New Yorker for recognizing that when a person - sometimes a young athlete - goes into cardiac arrest, every second counts," said NYSUT Executive Vice President Alan Lubin. "We know this law will save many lives."

The law, enacted in May, was due to be effective Sept. 1, but that date was extended until Dec. 1 to allow schools time to plan for training and the expense - about $3,000 per AED. 

Unions pitch in

School districts are paying for defibrillators in a variety of ways. Some schools have hosted fund-raising events. In at least two districts (Utica and Oceanside), NYSUT locals have paid for the equipment.

"There are a number of districts where members of the Legislature have given money to buy equipment," said Debra Nelson, NYSUT's director of legislation.

Some are teaming up with adjacent districts to negotiate better prices by buying defibrillators in bulk.

Union leaders applaud the life-saving essence of the law and are doing what they can to help districts implement it.

"The training that staff receive, which is voluntary by the way, will not only be useful to the schools, but everywhere," said Steve Frey, president of the Yonkers Fede-ration of Teachers. "If one of those teachers is at an airport and an emergency requires their skill, the training will prove itself invaluable."

Pelham TA President Frank Orfei said, "It's a benefit to our students and another good way for our teachers to aid our students in emergency situations."

The Sayville district purchased nine AEDs. "It's always good to have emergency equipment at your disposal," said Donna Brown, a

middle-school nurse and member of the Sayville Teachers Association, who received defibrillator training as part of her cardio-pulmonary resuscitation recertification.

Brown attended a conference where the parents of the deceased Northport High student spoke.

"It drove home to me how important this machinery can really be," Brown said.

- Sylvia Saunders, Liza Frenette and James Brodie

[Guest]

I think it is a good law to have AED'S in school for the staff and any youth corp kids that know how to use it in case any thing ever happens they are up on the walls in my school. i am AED Certified any i would want them in the halls on the walls to be there in case any thing goes wrong.

[Guest]

Thanks mikeint for your help.

[WAS967 97]

Next I think they should mandate having at least one defib in any "health club" facility, be it a gym, tennis club, pool, etc. I'd have to guess that statistically there is a higher instance of arrests at facilities such as this and it's dismaying that most don't have one available.