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Rec offices take live-saving measures Leagues, municipalities preparing for heart incidents at games, other public events By J. FRANK LYNCH and By JOHN MUNFORD
The sudden death last week of a Fayetteville youth after being hit in the chest by a pitched baseball has raised awareness of the need for CPR training and cardio rescue equipment throughout the area's recreation centers and playing fields. Peachtree City may be one step ahead of the game, however, because of an effort already underway to outfit the city with defibrillators, which deliver an electric shock to a heart in distress. An e-mail circulating earlier this week criticized rescue personnel for not using the device on 13-year-old John Ashmore after he collapsed during a game at Kiwanis Park on May 9. Parademics performed CPR on him to try to restore his breathing and have said he initially showed no signs to indicate his heart needed shocking. Due to the nature of the boy's injury, medical experts were reluctant to say whether use of the defibrillator could have saved his life. Clearly, though, they save many lives and are becoming quite popular in any place where large numbers of folks gather including civic buildings, churches and schools. Melinda Berry-Dreisbach, public information officer for the Fayette County school district, said just two of the county's campuses are equipped with the machines now, but that should change. Whitewater Middle School was the first to get one, followed recently by Fayette County High. The individual school PTOs raised the money to equip their clinics with the defibrillators, which can start at around $1,000 on the low-end and go up to the tens of thousands of dollars for the most advanced models used in hospitals. Berry-Dreisbach said district administrators have urged each of the schools' PTOs to make the machines a funding priority, and several more are expected to have them with faculty trained to use them by next school year. Randy Gaddo, director of leisure services for Peachtree City, said nearly all of the city's main recreation facilities have the machines on site, and each of the city's fire stations is equipped as well. He likened the machines to an insurance policy. "It's a potential life saver," he said. "You have it there and you make sure it's working because, boy, when you need it, it can make a difference." The city's goal, said Gaddo, is to eventually have a defibrillator in every city facility. "They are foolproof, very easy to use," he said, adding that the fire department regularly gives training sessions on the technique, which lasts about 30 minutes. Like Fayette County and Fayetteville, the Peachtree City Fire and Rescue Department doesn't routinely have ambulances on hand for youth sporting events. But there are special occasions where a member of the department might be on hand to serve as a "first responder," said Fire Chief Stony Lohr. Staffers also conduct spot checks of some events to determine the level and intensity of activity, Lohr noted. "One of the difficulties with the sports events is that there are so many and they often last for hours or days," Lohr said. "We attempt to leave the ambulances and apparatus centrally located where they can respond the most quickly to the greatest number of people." Despite the recent tragedy, Lohr said he feels ball games are safer now than they've ever been. The most serious injury the department has responded to were two soccer players whose heads collided during a game, the chief said. "The accidents that we have responded to at the sports fields have been things like twisted, sprained or broken arms or legs from sliding, running into each other or kicking each other," Lohr said, noting that the "kicking" calls come from soccer games. While all the department's vehicles have an Automatic External Defibrillator or the similar Life Pak, these other public and private facilities in Peachtree City have AEDs on hand for cardiac emergencies: Kedron Athletic Center. The City Hall and Library complex. The Gathering Place and Recreation Department. The Peachtree City Police Department and in all patrol cars. NCR Corporation. Panasonic (two devices). Hoshizaki (two devices). Christ Our Shepard Lutheran Church. Peachtree City Methodist Church. Two other churches may soon be getting AEDs also, Lohr said: Braelinn Baptist Church and Holy Trinity Catholic Church.
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