London area school trustees commit to installing defibrillators in all schools

Within the next three to five years, all schools within the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) will have automated external defibrillators (AEDs) installed.

Board trustees voted unanimously in favour of a motion Tuesday night that sees the organization take responsibility for the maintenance and training for 184 machines.

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Officials are hoping to have 40 installed per year. The cost of the defibrillators will be covered through outside fundraising.

The electronic devices are used to treat life-threatening heart conditions after a sudden cardiac arrest, which is one of the leading causes of death in Canada.

A Heart and Stroke Foundation formula estimates that the TVDSB can expect at least two sudden cardiac arrests among staff and students per year.

Only a handful of schools across the city currently have AEDs, including seven elementary schools and nine high schools.

TVDSB student Andrew Stoddart died playing soccer nearly two years ago after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest. There was no AED on hand.

Andrew’s mother, Cara Schmidt, hopes rural schools will have access first, “only because time is of the essence when someone goes down with sudden cardiac arrest, and in the city of London, with an eight-minute response time for EMS, it’s better than our 12- or 15-minute response time in the rural areas.”

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Schmidt admits she would have liked to see AEDs installed faster.

Andrew’s Legacy, a charity established by his family, has donated 25 AEDs since his death.