School Implementing Lifesaving Defibrillators for Emergency Situations
The Alfred Nobel School in Berlin is now equipped with automated external defibrillators (AED) as part of an initiative by the Kinderherz Foundation to improve emergency response in educational institutions. According to the foundation's chairperson, Sylvia Paul, the provision of defibrillators aims to enable quick and effective help in situations where children are present.
The devices, already incorporated into the school's curriculum as part of the compulsory elective subject "Medical Fundamentals," are intended to ensure that first aiders can respond effectively to cardiac arrests. With a sudden cardiac arrest, irreversible brain damage can occur within three to five minutes, making immediate help crucial.
The school now has two AEDs, one installed in the gym and the other in the teachers' room. Edin Ciric, the first aid teacher at the school, expressed relief at their availability, noting that an emergency call to the fire department is automatically triggered when the devices are opened.
The initiative has garnered interest from several other educational institutions, including a kindergarten in Marzahn-Hellersdorf caring for a child with a heart condition and the Hannah-Arendt-Gymnasium in Neukölln, whose principal passed away due to a heart attack in 2021. Nationwide, ten schools and kindergartens have already been equipped with AEDs.
The cost of each AED setup, including training and maintenance for five years, is estimated to be around €5,200. The Kinderherz Foundation is seeking donations to facilitate this.
Berlin currently has around 330 defibrillators, primarily located in public buildings and shopping centers. These devices can potentially save lives during emergencies.
While specific nationwide data on the number of schools and kindergartens equipped with AEDs is not available, the installation of such devices is part of a broader public health effort to improve emergency response in educational settings across Germany. The cost for an AED device and associated services may range from €2,000 to €4,000.
The AEDs installed in The Alfred Nobel School, serving as part of the "Medical Fundamentals" curriculum, are pivotal in teaching students about science, particularly medical sciences, and enhancing health-and-wellness initiatives by making them aware of first aid procedures during emergencies. With the increasing focus on health-and-wellness, the Kinderherz Foundation is encouraging other educational institutions to adopt similar measures to save lives during cardiac arrests.
