Lake Hamilton schools certified Heart Safe after emergency drills

All six Lake Hamilton School District campuses have been recognized as Arkansas Heart Safe Schools after employees completed training and simulated cardiac emergency drills.

The recognition, through Project ADAM at Arkansas Children's, is designed to prepare schools to respond to sudden cardiac arrest using trained emergency teams, CPR, automated external defibrillators and detailed response plans, according to a district news release.

Emergency response teams at each Lake Hamilton campus spent several weeks training for a possible cardiac emergency involving a student, employee or visitor. Each team member was given a specific role, including calling 911, starting CPR, retrieving and operating an AED, directing first responders to the patient and helping coordinate with emergency response.

The teams then had to put that training into practice.

Charles Wooley, Project ADAM coordinator and outreach coordinator with the Arkansas Children's Heart Institute, conducted unannounced simulated cardiac emergency drills at each of the district's six campuses, the release said.

Employees knew a drill would take place but did not know when or where.

During each drill, Wooley placed a training manikin at a location on campus and presented the nearest employee with a simulated emergency. The employee then had to activate the school's response plan.

The goal was for trained team members to reach the patient and begin lifesaving care within 60 seconds while others called emergency services and carried out their assigned duties.

"We talk about preparedness a lot, but until we actually run a drill, that's when the readiness piece fits in," Wooley said in the release. "It's always exciting to see people rally around this idea that we can save a life. We saw that at Lake Hamilton multiple times. They showed how much they care about kids and each other."

Local first responders and emergency medical personnel also took part, allowing school employees to practice the response from the first call for help through the arrival of emergency crews.

"Practice equals preparedness," Jamie Carson, Pafford Medical Services community outreach coordinator, said. "These drills simulate the dispatch, to the first responders, to EMS, and all school officials and teachers. In order to make this work, we practice what we want to see work in a real situation."

Project ADAM stands for Automated Defibrillators in Adam's Memory. The program works with schools and communities to prepare for sudden cardiac arrest through CPR and AED training, emergency response plans and drills.

Superintendent Tony Thurman said the districtwide recognition reflects the work of school employees and local emergency response partners.

"We are incredibly proud to have all six of our school campuses recognized as Arkansas Heart Safe Schools," Thurman said in the release. "The safety of our students, staff and visitors is one of our greatest responsibilities, and this process gave our employees the opportunity to put their training into action in a realistic setting."

Thurman said the district hopes employees never have to use the training in a real emergency but now has trained personnel across its campuses who know how to respond.

According to the release, employees at all six campuses have practiced their assigned roles, tested their emergency plans and worked with first responders for the first critical minutes of a cardiac emergency.