District safety initiatives bring new AED machines and Narcan kits to campus

The district has recently made significant upgrades to school safety equipment, including the installation of six new automated external defibrillators (AEDs) on the Saratoga High campus, bringing the campus total to 13. In addition, first aid cabinets around the school have been stocked with Narcan kits for opioid overdose cases, along with “stop the bleed” kits for bleeding wounds.

These upgrades were implemented at both SHS and Los Gatos High and were proposed by district nurse Lisa Tripp in February. Tripp said the installation of additional AEDs was intended to bring the campuses to a higher standard of medical care where, in the event of a cardiac arrest, the victim can receive immediate care within three [jump] minutes or less, the time threshold before the onset of brain damage. 

“For us to do that, there needs to be an AED within a 45-second brisk walk anywhere from campus,” Tripp said.

Courtesy of Greg Louie

A map of SHS with AED and first aid stations located.

Tripp’s plan was approved by the district’s student services director, Heath Rocha, and then by the district board. Upgrades cost $25,000 at each campus, a cost paid for by both schools’ charitable foundations.

According to Tripp, few schools meet the high standard that the two schools have reached for the number of accessible AEDs. The main reason for this is the steep price of these machines, which cost roughly $2,500 each, not including continued maintenance costs. 

After receiving funding for the project, the school worked with Onebytwo Global, a local company specializing in AED management and emergency response training programs. The organization’s experts helped place AEDs in optimally spaced locations on campus, as well as two AEDs on two golf carts that administrators and staff members drive around through the school day.

The district also asked all administrators, P.E. teachers, health teachers, health clerks and campus supervisors to become CPR and AED certified to help in the event of an emergency. They held a course for these staff and others who volunteered to be certified.

As for student training, the ninth-grade health class mandatory for freshmen at SHS teaches them CPR skills and certifies them for two years. Tripp said there is also a possibility that a refresher course of some sort will be introduced to upperclassmen, though there are no plans set in place.

Moving forward into 2024, the district plans to continue bolstering its student safety initiatives by giving a schoolwide lesson on Narcan in February, where students will learn about the dangers of contaminated drugs and drug overdose while also each receiving a Narcan kit.

“We’re throwing a really big net out and trying to educate as many people about this [opioid crisis and the fentanyl scare], and you know, even if you save one [person], it’s worth the community effort,” Tripp said.