Defibrillator for schools

Why is it useful to have a defibrillator in use in schools?

Your school is a place where a lot of people come together every day: depending on the size of the school, hundreds or even thousands of people spend their day there – be it students or teachers of all ages, be it in the classroom, in the sports hall or at joint events. We are all aware that sudden cardiovascular arrest can occur in any age group and without any warning – and that, from a purely statistical point of view, it is also more likely to occur when a large number of people congregate.

Who can provide help in such a case? At a concert with more than 1000 people, the law requires that six paramedics, one ambulance and one rescue vehicle be on site. Everyday school life does not normally require a trained paramedic to be on site to provide assistance in such an event. A first aid kit is of no use here – it is more important to have a defibrillator on site. It is of vital importance, so to say.

Is a defibrillator mandatory in schools?

No, schools are not required by law to have a defibrillators on site. But they can save lives and are an important aid in the context of providing first aid – for example if you are 

•  head of school and would like to be sure that you have taken all the necessary precautions for the event of an emergency, in order to be able to protect your students and teachers in the best possible way
• first aider in need of reliable support in case of emergency
• teacher and want to be sure that first aid can be administered quickly and by anyone in your classrooms
• school secretary and are looking for a suitable device that also has a paediatric mode or can be operated by children

Either way: You take responsibility for the lives of others when you decide to purchase a life-saving “pulse generator”.

What should be considered when using a defibrillator in schools?

For your school, you need a device that is quick and easy to use. Such a device is called an automated external defibrillator (AED), which is intended for “lay use”. Likewise, children should be able to operate the AED easily. What else to consider:

• Simple visualisation: At events or in the sports hall, the background noise can sometimes be very loud, which is why the device must be able to function even in a noisy environment. Voice prompts should therefore also be visualised in a clearly comprehensible way
• Clear instructions: In the best case, a comprehensible mix of pictograms, voice and text displays guides the user through the entire process of resuscitation
• Robust housing: Depending on the area of application (e.g. swimming pool), the persons using the device and the situation, the device should be shock and water resistant
• Easily accessible storage location: It goes without saying that the AED should be freely accessible to all – and not stored in locked cabinets

Which defibrillators are best for schools?

So which device is recommended for schools and educational institutions? We recommend the products of our HeartSave range: HeartSaveAED or HeartSaveAS. Both devices are easy and intuitive to use and guide the user safely through the entire resuscitation process with concise voice prompts. In a pediatric emergency, you don't need special pads for children, because you can switch the AEDs to a paediatric mode with reduced energy levels at the touch of a button.

By the way: All products of the HeartSave series come with a 6-year warranty ex works. We know and trust our AEDs so much that you can even optionally extend this warranty to 10 years.

In the following short video you can learn how easy and intuitive resuscitation with an AED of the HeartSave series is: