AEDs now required by law to be placed in all Ohio schools

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed into law House Bill 47 that will require automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to be placed in every public and chartered nonpublic school in Ohio.

“The evidence is clear: AEDs save lives,” said Governor DeWine. “While we know that sudden cardiac arrest is the number one killer of student-athletes in America, we also know the vast majority who get immediate help from an AED survive. The difference these devices make is astounding. Having them on standby in our schools to safeguard our students is a must.”

According to the CDC, more than 356,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur each year in the United States. An estimated 70-90% of these people die before reaching the hospital. However, the American Heart Association reports that nine out of 10 cardiac arrest victims will live if they receive a shock from an AED in the first minute after an incident.

One such survivor is Canen Dickman, a sophomore at Worthington Kilbourne who says an AED saved his life last year after he collapsed during a summer soccer practice. His coaches responded immediately, performing CPR and using an AED from a nearby building to restore Canen’s pulse before he was transported to the hospital. Canen recovered and is now back playing soccer once again.

The experience prompted Canen to begin advocating for legislation requiring AEDs in schools. Canen and his mom, Pamela Dickman, along with Worthington Kilbourne head soccer coach Jon Sprunger, who administered the AED during Canen’s cardiac emergency, joined the Governor for Tuesday’s ceremony.

“We hope that the passing of this bill will help save lives, just as mine was saved, because if it weren’t for AEDs and CPR training in our school, I would not be here today. Thank you, Governor DeWine,” Canen said.

“We thank Worthington Kilbourne High School for having AEDs and trainings set in place before Canen’s incident last year and for allowing us to use this great school as a sounding board for raising awareness about the importance of AEDs and emergency action plans,” Pamela said. “This bill will help more than just students. It will also help staff, faculty – any observers coming to any event in any school – this bill helps us all. It’s a great win for everybody.”

“Over many years of coaching, our school made it a point to teach about sudden cardiac arrest, to have AEDs on the premises, and to have an emergency action plan. I never thought I would have to use it. But when our event happened, everything came naturally and went the way it was supposed to, and our outcome was joyous,” Sprunger said. “Our hope is that the passing of this bill will save many lives into the future.”

Sponsored by Rep. Adam Bird (R-New Richmond) and Rep. Richard Brown (D-Canal Winchester), HB 47 goes beyond merely requiring AEDs to be placed in schools. It will also require the Ohio Department of Health to develop a model emergency action plan for the use of AEDs. All public and chartered nonpublic schools will be required to adopt their own emergency action plan and practice it at least quarterly.

The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce will develop a system for violations to be reported if schools do not properly place AEDs in their facilities or fail to adopt and practice an emergency action plan.

The bill also requires schools to train teachers, administrators, coaches, athletic trainers, and anyone else supervising student-athletes on how and when to use AEDs.

Since young athletes often compete at other venues besides their school, the bill also requires AEDs to be placed at all municipally owned or operated sports and recreation locations.

Finally, the bill requires schools and youth sports organizations to hold informational meetings each sports season regarding the symptoms and warning signs of sudden cardiac arrest for young athletes of all ages.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTRF.