The Times West Virginian

Opinion

October 16, 2009

Kiwanis funds for defibrillator definite service to community

When it comes to emergencies, especially those that are health-related, every second counts.

So a recent donation by a local chapter of Kiwanis International to White Hall Elementary should help put the faculty, staff, students and parents associated with the school at ease.

Earlier this week the school received a new defibrillator courtesy of the Kiwanis’ White Hall project. Instead of making a cash donation to the Kiwanians, the town purchased the unit for the school, which will allow the elementary school to follow a recent national trend of having portable defibrillators available for use in crowded spaces.

According to the American Heart Association, defibrillation — a process in which an electronic device gives an electric shock to the heart — helps reestablish normal contraction rhythms in a heart having dangerous arrhythmia or in cardiac arrest. The machines often used to help jump-start the heart are called automated external defibrillators (AEDs).

The importance of being properly trained to use the equipment is becoming increasingly popular, and the American Red Cross offers training for AEDs along with standard first aid and CPR courses. In fact, the Red Cross has stated that it has a vision of one person in every household being trained in first aid and CPR lifesaving skills, and all Americans being within four minutes of an AED with someone trained to use it in the event of sudden cardiac arrest.

That could come in handy, since the American Heart Association recommends that AEDs be available wherever there are large numbers of people, including airports, convention centers, sports stadiums and arenas, large industrial buildings, high-rise offices and large health fitness facilities.

Schools obviously fit that description as well. And now that White Hall Elementary has a defibrillator on site, proper training for faculty and staff will help further ensure a prompt and safe response if an emergency occurs.

The American Heart Association also estimates that 40,000 more lives could be saved annually in the United States if AEDs were more widely available and could reach victims more quickly.

Kiwanis President Bill Bickerstaff said the group donated the equipment as a way “to serve the needs of the community” and that the group plans to present two more defibrillators to area schools within the next few months. He said the Kiwanians’ goal is to provide defibrillators to each of the county’s 24 schools and the East-West Stadium. Each device costs about $1,800.

We agree with White Hall Elementary School Principal Mike Williams, who said he hopes the school will never have to use the defibrillator and that it’s “nice to have that protection there just in case,” but we also think $1,800 is a small price to pay if it helps save someone’s life.

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