MARLBORO – Additional automated external defibrillators (AEDs) have been place in the David C. Abbott Early Learning Center, the Asher Holmes Elementary School, the Frank Defino Central Elementary School, the Frank J. Dugan Elementary School, the Marlboro Elementary School and the Robertsville Elementary School, according to a press release from the Marlboro K-8 School District.
According to the press release, the six machines were obtained with a 2016 safety grant provided by the New Jersey Schools Insurance Group’s Monmouth, Ocean County Shared Services Insurance Fund. The grant totaled $6,914.
An AED is a portable device which is used to shock a person’s heart back into a normal rhythm after an incident of sudden cardiac arrest occurs.
According to the press release, an AED is safe and easy to use, making it possible for non-medical personnel to be trained to provide rapid defibrillation for victims of all ages.
“The school district wanted to ensure we can effectively respond to any medical emergency that occurs on our property,” school safety supervisor Tom Slattery said.
According to the American Red Cross, every year almost 350,000 people sustain cardiac arrest. For each minute that defibrillation and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is delayed, the person’s chances of survival decreases by 10 percent.
The Red Cross states that 50,000 lives are saved each year due to immediate care for cardiac victims with an AED and CPR.
The press release from the Marlboro school district states that the new AED will be the second one in each elementary school. One AED will be placed near the school playground and one AED will be placed in the gym.
