In response to a provincial policy, the Cowichan Valley School District says they’re implementing Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) and other life-saving equipment in schools.
According to the board, they must establish, maintain and ensure the policy is made publicly available for responding to health emergencies across all schools in the region.
This includes AEDs and Naloxone kits.
District assistant superintendent Jeff Rowan says some schools in the area already have these devices installed, but the deadline is rapidly approaching to make sure the others are outfitted.
“Part of the government’s new mandate was they want to have an AED in all schools,” he says. “As a result, we have to have all secondary schools outfitted by Dec. 31, and elementary schools by next September.”
Right now, the Cowichan Valley School District currently has 13 devices in 28 of their sites, and Rowan says funding will be needed to make sure the rest of the facilities meet the new guidelines.
“We’ll be looking at a provincial procurement of $45,000 in all our sites,” he says.
Training on the devices is already underway, and Rowan says they’re bringing staff up to par with the new devices and allowing it to trickle down to the students.
“Our physical education teachers, in the secondary schools, have started work on this training so they can teach their students in First Aid,” he says. “The companies that provide the AED have good video training, and the devices are fairly automatic.”
Rowan says this is the biggest push (provincially) he has seen for emergency supplies in schools and believes it stems from past occurrences where they were needed and not available.
“I believe it was in response to a couple of instances where there were unexpected medical emergencies where an AED potentially would’ve saved a life,” he says.
According to the province, the policy was put in place to ensure lifesaving first aid tools are available, and accessible, to promote student and staff safety in each school district.
