During the September 13th Board of Education meeting, the purchase of six new AED Machines was approved. The machines have been spread out amongst all three buildings, including the BOE, bus garage, and a portable one for the Athletic Trainer and coaches. The FRx AEDs are the latest model from Phillips and are considered the gold standard, much like the image shown. One of the best things about these units is they only require one set of pads that adjusts the unit for infants or children suffering cardiac arrest, which makes the unit significantly easier to maintain and provides a quick response for any individual in cardiac arrest. Cardinal Local Schools made this investment in the safety of our schools to ensure that we are very well equipped to handle emergencies with the best possible care.
Over the summer, Cardinal participated in the AEDin3 Challenge as advertised by University Hospitals Drusinsky Sports Medicine Institute. This challenge was led by Dr. Rob Flannery in partnership with the Cleveland Browns and Denzel Ward to help raise awareness for emergency preparation. The challenge was completed by our Athletic Trainer, Mitch Geddis and student athletes at Cardinal. The challenge was to figure out the time it takes to reach the designated AED for the specific venues. Research indicates that the survival rate for cardiac arrest significantly decreases each minute beyond three minutes before defibrillation. This challenge led to a fund that will look to donate AEDs to schools across northeast Ohio, including Cardinal. Completing this challenge is a testament to our dedication to safety and emergency preparedness at all Cardinal facilities.
We have also updated our emergency action plans in accordance with the standard operating procedures detailed by University Hospitals as well as the CVC that has instituted pre-event medical meetings prior to the start of all inter-conference events to review emergency procedures with officials, representatives from each team, and medical staff at the event. At Cardinal, we perform these meetings for all home events including middle school and high school events. We take these extra steps because we feel responsible for the safety of people attending and participating in events at our venues. Safety is a very high priority for us at Cardinal Local Schools and we are proud to take these steps forward to ensure the best care for our community.