AED Audit Done By The Woodbridge School District

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — In light of the NFL's Damar Hamlin's near-fatal cardiac arrest this winter, and several New Jersey high school students who collapsed on the court while playing basketball, in January the Woodbridge school district conducted an audit of how many AED devices are in the district.

"How are we doing in the area of cardiac arrest? Are we prepared should such an emergency take place?" asked Woodbridge school board member Dan Harris at last Thursday's BOE meeting.

Harris led the audit.

Harris did not mention it, but a 12-year-old sixth grader in Newark died Feb. 10 after he suddenly collapsed while running drills in a no-contact football practice. According to media reports, the boy was not given CPR, and no AED device was used on him.

An automatic external defibrillator is used to shock someone's heart back into a rhythm.

According to Harris, here are the results of the audit:

An AED machine is kept in every Woodbridge school nurse's office.

The machines are checked daily or monthly to make sure they still work, and that batteries are kept fresh. Older AED machines in the district have been replaced in recent years.

AED machines will be added and strategically located to make them accessible during athletic events. All Woodbridge school district coaches and athletics trainers are CPR certified.

There is an ambulance at every Woodbridge high school football game, at all three high schools.

And each school in the district has a "Code Blue" team made up of five staff members who are certified in knowing how to use an AED and give CPR.

Watch the Feb. 16 Woodbridge BOE meeting in its entirety: