SUGAR LAND, Texas – At Logos Prep Academy in Sugar Land, they say all teachers and staff are regularly trained in CPR.
“We practice not just so we can get it right, but we practice so that we can’t possibly get it wrong,” school nurse Kati Hulbert said.
This month, when a student on an opposing team had a cardiac event in their gym, the training came in handy.
Athletic Director Bennett Murff said multiple people jumped in without questioning how to respond. The student is reportedly doing better.
Now, Logos Prep is planning to add more AEDs, even when they’re off campus. They plan to travel with them.
“Every time you travel to another facility, you’re just making an assumption that they have an AED, and we were willing to spend the money to relieve us of that assumption and we know there’s an AED with our team at all times,” Murff said.
According to the latest data from the CDC, in the United States, 66 athletes die annually from sudden cardiac arrest.
The laws where AEDs are required vary, but Texas schools are required to have them on campus. But that may not include facilities where athletics take place that are not a school.
AEDs also need annual maintenance to work effectively and should be located anywhere a cardiac event could take place.
“You got six minutes to get blood flow back to the brain,” Matthew Lester said.
Lester is a firefighter and works for Reign Roofing. After hearing about the cardiac event at Logos Prep, Reign Roofing pledged to donate an AED once a month to local organizations. Their first generous donation was to the school this week.
An AED is easy to use. It has sophisticated technology that speaks directions. It will not shock someone unless the machine detects it’s needed.