A bill (SB 0430) focused on saving lives in Florida is gaining support in the state Legislature. The proposal, titled 'Cardiac Emergencies," would require all schools in Florida to have an external defibrillator on campus.
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), in 2024, more than 356,000 Americans experienced an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
Experts say the event can cause a person’s heart to stop beating effectively, which can be life threatening if left untreated.
“The American Heart Association is in support of the bill as amended," AHA government relations director Tiffany McCaskill Henderson said as she spoke in favor of the plan during a recent bill hearing.
Henderson wants lawmakers to ensure defibrillators are readily accessible in Florida schools.
From the first defibrillator to building a #NationofLifesavers, here’s a look at advancements in CPR science over the last century. #CPRMonth #AHABoldHearts pic.twitter.com/aHvKSTIe2G
— American Heart Association (@American_Heart) June 19, 2024
"We would like to thank Chair Simon for the good bill that he had."
State Senator Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee, introduced the measure to a Senate Appropriations Committee on Pre-K-12 Education, to help keep school faculty and students safe.
“This bill requires every public school to have a cardiac emergency response plan," explained Simon. "School officials must work directly with local emergency service providers to integrate this plan into community’s emergency response protocol.”
Under the measure, teachers, staff, and students at public and charter schools must undergo basic first aid, CPR, and defibrillator training. School districts will have two years from the time the law takes effect to have at least one registered AED on campus.
With defibrillators costing on average $1500, Hillsborough Republican Senator Danny Burgess, the bill’s co-sponsor, said he and Simon are looking to the Legislature for help with funding.
“We are absolutely working on the budgetary part of this. No question there is a cost," Burgess told the panel of lawmakers. "I think that is why some of these issues have not made it across the finish line in the past, despite everybody’s efforts.”
The measure, if passed, would take effect this July. The move would be an addition to a law passed in 2023 requiring AEDs at school sporting events.
