Union Public School’s athletic department takes CPR training ahead of school year

Coaches in the Union Public Schools athletic department received CPR training Tuesday ahead of the upcoming school year and fall sports season. Hillcrest South, Tulsa Fire, and the American Heart Association led about 130 staff members through chest compressions and AED use, preparing them to respond to cardiac emergencies on the field.

The athletic department at Union Public Schools had CPR training on Tuesday before school starts next week.

Hillcrest South, Tulsa Fire, and the American Heart Association taught the coaches this life-saving technique.

Q: Why is this training happening now?

A: Union wants coaches prepared before the school year and fall sports begin. According to the American Heart Association, 23,000 children suffer cardiac arrest each year, often with no prior warning that they had a heart condition. Because coaches are typically the first people on the scene during practices and games, organizers say they need to know how to respond immediately.

Q: What did the training cover?

A: About 130 members of the Union athletic department practiced chest compressions on CPR mannequins. They also learned to use automated external defibrillators, or AEDs, which can shock a patient’s heart back into rhythm. During one drill, a mannequin’s device instructed users: “Shock advised, don’t touch patient, press flashing shock button.”

Q: What did coaches take away from the course?

A: Trey Osborne, entering his fifth year as Union’s junior high girls basketball coach, said the district offers the training almost every year he’s been there. He said one of the most surprising lessons was learning that performing CPR correctly often means breaking the patient’s ribs.

“One thing that I didn’t know when I first got CPR was that, like, whenever you’re doing it, you’re going to, like, break the rib cage, right? So that may not feel natural. And when you do it, it’s probably scary,” Osborne said.

Still, he said he’d rather break a rib than lose a life.

“This is very valuable knowledge to have, but I hope I never have to use it, you know?” Osborne said.

Q: How common are these emergencies among young athletes?

A: The American Heart Association says 100 young athletes die from cardiac arrest each year, and it usually happens when no one expects it. Megan Korn with the American Heart Association said the training reflects how seriously youth sports organizations take player safety.

“All these people care about the safety of our children and the survival of our children and safety during youth sports, right? I mean, it is — it’s just so important that we’re ready for anything that can happen, and cardiac emergencies do happen,” Korn said.

Q: What should someone do if an athlete goes into cardiac arrest?

A: The American Heart Association says the first step is to have someone call 911, then get others to take turns performing chest compressions until help arrives. Warning signs of a cardiac issue include chest pain, gasping for air and unresponsiveness.