Cardiac Arrest Drill
Concordia Lutheran High School
Professional Development Day: March 10, 2025
Concordia Lutheran High School will be the first school in Allen County to be designated as a Project Adam Heart Safe School. Project ADAM Heart Safe School Designation is attained by a school upon successful implementation of a quality sudden cardiac arrest program of awareness, training and effective emergency response to promote a Heart Safe environment for students, visitors and staff. (from website).
Project ADAM was started by the family of a teenager who died of cardiac arrest while playing in a school basketball game. A bystander administered CPR, but without a defibrillator (an AED), his heart couldn’t regain its normal rhythm. The ambulance arrived within eight minutes, but Adam needed an AED within 2-3 minutes to be given the best chance of survival. (from website) The goal of Project ADAM is to educate and equip schools with the resources necessary to provide CPR/AED care within 2-3 minutes of a cardiac emergency.
The purpose of the drill is two-fold: to provide practice for faculty and staff to respond to a cardiac emergency and to test the campus Cardiac Emergency Response Plan (CERP). Even though all faculty and staff are CPR certified, a drill helps responders think through how to respond in different scenarios and locations on campus. Drills also help the Cardiac Emergency Response Team evaluate the proper placement of current AEDs on campus. In short, Cardiac Emergency Response Drills empower CLHS to provide the best chance of a positive outcome.
Concordia Lutheran High School knows first hand the importance of training for a cardiac emergency. In August 2023, then freshman, Madison Ringwald, collapsed during PE class. Her cardiac event required CPR and AED utilization that ultimately sustained her life. As a survivor, Madison is a huge advocate for CPR/AED training. She and many fellow members of the school’s HOSA club will participate as student bystanders during the upcoming drill. HOSA is a co-curricular club for students interested in healthcare professions. Madison and members of the HOSA club will help organize and stage the scenarios that the CLHS faculty and staff will respond to during the drill.
Special Guests
Tonya Aerts, Project ADAM Indiana Community Advocate
Cody Brooks, Assistant Chief for EMS at FWFD
Mary Kohrman, Nurse Liaison with Allen County Board of Health]
Mitch McKinney, FWPD