On Wednesday January 7, 2009, an AED emergency was called after an Arbor View Staff member claimed to be experiencing chest pain. After 911 was called, the staff member was rushed to the hospital for further analysis.

 Although the actual AED machine was not needed, it is an important necessity in any school environment.

            AED stands for Automated External Defibrillator. In simple terms, it is a machine with a built-in heart rhythm analyzer used typically for a person who has gone into cardiac arrest. If needed, the AED delivers a shock to a victim’s heart to get it functioning normally again.

            At Arbor View, there are two AED machines available in emergency situations, with one located in the Health Office, and one in room 700. The number of AED machines present in a school varies from one to three, and is determined by the size of the campus.

By order of the Nevada State Legislator, all high schools must have an AED program on campus; however, middle and elementary schools do not.

To operate an AED machine, one must be certified in CPR and AED. Teachers and staff are welcomed and encouraged to take a training course.

“Usually it’s the PE teachers and coaches who want to volunteer [for the training],” said Ms. Tyler, the school nurse.

 Yet for Ms. Tyler, being certified is mandatory for her job. This is also true for Ms. Piper, the first-aid assistant, as well as the campus monitors and school police.

In total, Arbor View has 22 staff members who are on-call for is an emergency. With the CPR/AED qualification, these staff members undergo online reviews throughout the year to keep them up to date. In addition, their AED and CPR certifications must be renewed every two years.

As for the drills, high schools are required to perform a minimum of one drill per quarter. As soon as the drill is announced, the certified staff members have exactly four minutes to respond and aid the “victim” (a realistic dummy). The machines’ battery life is checked on a daily basis, since representatives from the district can randomly declare a drill at Arbor View.

According to Ms. Tyler, students can be randomly selected to participate in an AED drill, and must then run to the nearest teacher or other staff member to call for help.

“In such emergencies, [students] need to know what to do,” said Ms. Tyler. She said that AED machines are so beneficial to schools because “they save more lives than just CPR alone.”