116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Solon educators get hands-on training to be ‘empowered’ as initial emergency responders
Whether in the classroom or in their communities, Solon school staff trained in initial lifesaving measures
May. 31, 2024 5:42 pm
SOLON — More than 100 teachers and staff in the Solon Community School District were schooled in emergency care Friday to act as initial responders in a health crisis.
The teachers and staff received hands-on training in CPR and how to use automated external defibrillators to help someone experiencing sudden cardiac arrest, how to control life-threatening bleeding, how to administer a lifesaving medication naloxone to combat the effects of an opioid overdose, and what to do when someone is choking.
The training was led by Dr. Azeemuddin Ahmed, a clinical professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Iowa, along with other staff from the university. Also assisting were the Johnson County’s Sheriff’s Office, Johnson County Emergency Medical Services, and the Solon Fire Department.
Ahmed said it was the largest-scale training he had ever given to school employees. He hopes the training “empowered” participants to be “willing” and “motivated” responders in a crisis.
“Nobody wants to have to use these skills, but it’s important to have them at the pool, at your church, at your home. They’re portable,” Ahmed said.
Ahmed said it’s a personal and professional goal of his to train as many professional and layperson responders as possible. “The faster people receive care, the better chance of survival,” he said.
The school employees trained in these lifesaving measures will help them provide care to students and staff in their school buildings.
“We also understand you live in communities. This information — if you need it — you can use here within the schools, but it also can be used in your neighborhood, at the ballgame or at the gas station. Please use it wherever you are — on vacation or on an airplane. You can make a difference,” Ahmed said.
Fiona Johnson, director of the Johnson County Ambulance Service, said first responders “can’t get to cardiac arrests fast enough.”
“Every minute that goes by that a person in sudden cardiac arrest does not receive CPR and the use of an (automated external defibrillator), their chance of survival decreases by 10 percent,” Johnson said. “It’s so important that our community is willing to help out in these life and death situations.”
Johnson encouraged everyone in attendance to download a free mobile app called PulsePoint, which alerts people trained in hands-only CPR when someone in a nearby public place suffers sudden cardiac arrest. Public safety communications centers send alerts through the app at the same time they dispatch first responders to the scene. The app also notifies users of the closest available automated external defibrillator.
“If something happens, it’s going to happen way before we’re in a position to respond. That’s why these things are so important,” Johnson County Sheriff Brad Kunkel said.
Solon preschool teacher Tonya Vislisel said the training was a good reminder that having the knowledge to administer emergency care can extend beyond her classroom.
“You think you’re protecting your kids, but it could be a family member or a co-worker,” Vislisel said.
Solon improving school safety, emergency response
The idea for the training was born out of infrastructure improvements being made in the Solon Community School District to improve safety and emergency response.
The district received a $200,000 grant from the Governor’s School Safety Initiative this school year to make safety improvements. The money is being spent on improving the school district’s camera system, secure doors and shatterproof windows.
The district has been working with the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office to identify what areas of their building need additional safety measures.
Solon schools Superintendent Davis Eidahl said that led to conversations about how to best minimize injuries and casualties in a life-threatening situation.
“We want to build confidence in our staff that they can do this if push comes to shove,” Eidahl said.
Naloxone not yet added to Solon schools
An Iowa law passed in 2022 allows schools to stock and administer naloxone — a lifesaving medication to combat the effects of an opioid overdose.
The Solon Community School District has not yet adopted policies and procedures to add naloxone — brand name Narcan — to its schools. Davis said the school board is currently working on drafting a policy to have it added.
Comments: (319) 398-8411; grace.king@thegazette.com
Daily Newsletters