Northwest Local Schools

Every year, 1 out of every 75 schools throughout the country will experience a Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) event. When SCA happens, it is essential that life-saving measures be taken very quickly to ensure the victim has the best chance for survival. We are excited to announce that Northwest Local School District is working with Project ADAM Ohio through Nationwide Children’s Hospital to become a Heart-Safe Organization. We have done this by making sure our school has Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) throughout the school district, where they can be quickly accessed in case of an emergency. Our staff has had training on recognizing the signs and symptoms of SCA, as well as training on how to initiate CPR and use the AEDs. We also have a designated cardiac response team made up of staff with additional training to respond to heart emergencies.

To ensure our district is fully prepared, we will be performing occasional cardiac arrest drills. The phrase “Code Heart Drill” will be used during drills and “Code Heart” when an actual event occurs. These drills will have minimal impact on the school day. During the drill, there will be an overhead announcement. We do this to minimize hall traffic during the event. Depending on where the drill takes place, some students may be moved to a different room for the duration of the drill. In general, the drill takes between 4-7 minutes. Again, we are excited that Northwest Local School District is able to offer this protection to our students, staff, athletes, and visitors. Please let us know if you have any questions.