WORTHINGTON, OH -- Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed House Bill 47 during a ceremony at Worthington Kilbourne High School. The new law will require automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to be placed in every public and chartered nonpublic school in Ohio.

“The evidence is clear: AEDs save lives,” said Governor DeWine. “While we know that sudden cardiac arrest is the number one killer of student-athletes in America, we also know the vast majority who get immediate help from an AED survive. The difference these devices make is astounding. Having them on standby in our schools to safeguard our students is a must.”

According to the CDC, more than 356,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur each year in the United States. An estimated 70-90% of these people die before reaching the hospital. However, the American Heart Association reports that nine out of 10 cardiac arrest victims will live if they receive a shock from an AED in the first minute after an incident.

One such survivor is Canen Dickman, a sophomore at Worthington Kilbourne who says an AED saved his life last year after he collapsed during a summer soccer practice. His coaches responded immediately, performing CPR and using an AED from a nearby building to restore Canen’s pulse before he was transported to the hospital. Canen recovered and is now back playing soccer once again.

The experience prompted Canen to begin advocating for legislation requiring AEDs in schools. Canen and his mom, Pamela Dickman, along with Worthington Kilbourne head soccer coach Jon Sprunger, who administered the AED during Canen’s cardiac emergency, joined the Governor for Tuesday’s ceremony.

“We hope that the passing of this bill will help save lives, just as mine was saved, because if it weren’t for AEDs and CPR training in our school, I would not be here today. Thank you, Governor DeWine,” Canen said.

“We thank Worthington Kilbourne High School for having AEDs and trainings set in place before Canen’s incident last year and for allowing us to use this great school as a sounding board for raising awareness about the importance of AEDs and emergency action plans,” Pamela said. “This bill will help more than just students. It will also help staff, faculty – any observers coming to any event in any school – this bill helps us all. It’s a great win for everybody.”

“Over many years of coaching, our school made it a point to teach about sudden cardiac arrest, to have AEDs on the premises, and to have an emergency action plan. I never thought I would have to use it. But when our event happened, everything came naturally and went the way it was supposed to, and our outcome was joyous,” Sprunger said. “Our hope is that the passing of this bill will save many lives into the future.”

Sponsored by Rep. Adam Bird (R-New Richmond) and Rep. Richard Brown (D-Canal Winchester), HB 47 goes beyond merely requiring AEDs to be placed in schools. It will also require the Ohio Department of Health to develop a model emergency action plan for the use of AEDs. All public and chartered nonpublic schools will be required to adopt their own emergency action plan and practice it at least quarterly.

The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce will develop a system for violations to be reported if schools do not properly place AEDs in their facilities or fail to adopt and practice an emergency action plan.

The bill also requires schools to train teachers, administrators, coaches, athletic trainers, and anyone else supervising student-athletes on how and when to use AEDs.

Since young athletes often compete at other venues besides their school, the bill also requires AEDs to be placed at all municipally owned or operated sports and recreation locations.

Finally, the bill requires schools and youth sports organizations to hold informational meetings each sports season regarding the symptoms and warning signs of sudden cardiac arrest for young athletes of all ages.

NEW OHIO LAW SUPPORTED BY NFL

Representatives from the National Football League (NFL) also attended Tuesday’s bill-signing ceremony.

In March 2023, the NFL, along with other major sports organizations and leading patient and health advocacy groups, announced the formation of the Smart Heart Sports Coalition. The group advocates for schools to have AEDs, emergency action plans, and CPR/AED training for coaches.

One of the coalition’s member organizations is the Make Them Known Your Name (MTKYN) Foundation. Formed by Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward and his mother, Nicole Ward, following the unexpected loss of Denzel’s father to a sudden cardiac arrest, MTKYN works to spread resources, education, and awareness for heart health and CPR/AED training across Cleveland and beyond.

“Today, my heart is full,” Nicole Ward said. “With this bill, we will create a new standard of AED access and preparedness. It will become normal to enter our schools and recreation centers and be able to rest knowing that an AED is on-site, and that people know exactly what to do and how to respond confidently and quickly in the event of a cardiac emergency.”

The Smart Heart Sports Coalition was founded in response to the life-saving emergency response and care provided to Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals in January 2023.

Hamlin wrote a letter of support for HB 47, which was read during Tuesday’s ceremony.

"On July 25th’s bill-signing is a testament to leadership and teamwork, and I thank and applaud Governor DeWine, the leaders of the Ohio legislature, the bill sponsors, and the many Smart Heart Sports Coalition team members who came together to move this life-saving legislation forward,” Hamlin said as part of his letter. “I’ll always consider Ohio my second home, and I’m delighted that this new law makes the places around the state where young people learn, play, and compete safer, more resilient, and better prepared to respond to a cardiac emergency. This is a big win for young people throughout Ohio."

Read Damar Hamlin’s Full Statement