Simmons Foods donates defibrillator to school

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

— Simmons Foods, Inc., donated an Automatic External Defibrillator to the Decatur High School.

Decatur complex manager Robert White and health and safety manager Cheryl Smith presented the lifesaving device to high school nurse Kathy Henson and principal Tommy Baker on Thursday.

AED’s are small electronic devices used to resuscitate victims of sudden cardiac arrest, according to the American Heart Association. The computerized devices can check a person’s heart rhythms and sense the exact moment to deliver a lifesaving shock. They are very accurate and easy to use with only a few hours of training.

“We appreciate all your help and support of the school. It’s really important to have this safety device for the kids,” Baker said.

The district already had an AED in the high school gym and the elementary school, but didn’t have one in place in the high school building.

The AED is crucial for safety, because if a student or staff member were to collapse in the high school library, it could be too late by the time someone ran over to the gym to retrieve the device, Henson said.

Coaches and select teachers have already been trained how to use the device, and the rest of the teachers and staff will be taking classes on how to properly use the AEDs, Henson said.

News, Pages 3 on 05/05/2010