AEDs required to be within reach during high school, athletic activities under new Tennessee law

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — An automated external defibrillator, or AED, will soon be required to be within 1,000 feet during every activity and athletic event at all public and nonpublic high schools in Tennessee under the Smart Heart Act, which Gov. Bill Lee signed Tuesday alongside NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell.

The legislation will also require high schools to establish and review an athletics emergency plan and practice it annually, in addition to training key staff on CPR and AEDs.

“It sounds simple, and it is in some ways. This is highly preventable in the sense of making sure that we can save our kids,” NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell said.

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Legislators, Titans officials, representatives with the American Heart Association, and other guests gathered at Pearl-Cohn High School Tuesday as Gov. Lee signed the Smart Heart Act into law.

“At the end of the day, this is going to save lives for Tennessee kids and kids all across America,” Lee said.

The Smart Heart Act is especially important to recent Station Camp High School graduate, Linton Beck, who suffered a cardiac arrest during his freshman year in chemistry class.

“I remember waking up that morning and going to school and going in my chemistry class and I remember going into the hospital. Between that time I don’t really remember anything,” Beck said.

Beck’s father, Stephen remembered it well. He beat the ambulance to the school where he learned educators were performing CPR on his son and using an AED to try to restart his heart.

“Just at a loss not knowing what’s happening,” Stephen said. “You’ve got a perfectly healthy son, and then he’s on the floor with no heartbeat, and that’s quite a shock you’re never prepared for as a parent.”

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Stephen credited the school staff’s quick response, training, and use of an AED for saving Linton’s life.

According to the American Heart Association, two-thirds of Tennessee schools don’t have a cardiac emergency response plan in place. The Smart Heart Act will change that so schools are more prepared to respond to a cardiac event.

“I want everyone else to be able to experience the same kind of comfort that I have in my school being prepared, and it’s really important that everyone is prepared and everyone is ready to respond to a situation that is like mine,” Linton said.

“The American Heart Association, Project Adam; our school system, they knew this was a problem. We didn’t. They prepared for it. My son is here today for that, and this bill is one of those things that is going to make sure other children are alive,” Stephen said.

Tony Brunetti, head football coach at Pearl-Cohn High School told News 2 the fact that the NFL commissioner was present for the signing of the legislation makes it that much more important.

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“It’s big. For the NFL to be here, and he has never come here, and to be on Pearl-Cohn High School football field, oh man, that’s a blessing,” Brunetti said. “That’s an honor in itself right now, and to be right there where he signed that bill, you know it’s big.”

Schools must be in compliance with the law by Sept. 1, according to the legislation.

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