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Sheriff presents interactive first‑aid kits for high schools, district to seek MOUs for wider placement
Summary
Osceola County Sheriff’s Office delivered nine interactive, multilingual first‑aid kits to high schools where school resource officers are assigned; Superintendent Dr. Mark Shanoff and board members praised the equipment and discussed expanding placement through memorandums of understanding.
Sheriff John Blackman demonstrated and delivered nine interactive first‑aid kits to Osceola County high schools on Oct. 14, telling the Osceola County School Board the units guide untrained users through emergency steps and include bilingual instructions.
The devices feature an onboard video screen with step‑by‑step prompts — including a countdown timer for bleeding control — and clearly labeled, single‑use packets for wounds, Sheriff Blackman said. “It’s a first aid kit on steroids,” he told the board while walking members through the kit’s screen prompts and labeled supplies.
Superintendent Dr. Mark Shanoff said the kits will be placed where school resource officers (SROs) are assigned and that the district and sheriff’s office are discussing memorandums of understanding to extend coverage to additional high schools. “One of the things I’m looking forward to most with those first aid kits is that I get to deliver them with the sheriff, in his vehicle,” Shanoff said.
Sheriff Blackman said nine kits are available immediately for high schools with SROs, with three additional units he hopes to place after completing an MOU because the kits are being provided through funds left in the sheriff’s office budget. He described the units as multilingual (about 15 languages in setup) and rechargeable by USB; contents are replaceable “a la carte” as items are used.
Board members and the superintendent framed the kits as part of a broader safety effort. At the meeting a board member said the kits “formalize the support” available to administrators, nurses and staff before emergency medical services arrive.
No board vote or budget appropriation was recorded for the kits at the meeting. Sheriff Blackman said he is working with district staff and county partners to finalize the MOUs needed to place additional units, and he described continuing efforts to secure and deploy more kits across the district.
The district did not provide a written cost breakdown at the meeting; Sheriff Blackman said the initial nine were purchased with leftover sheriff’s office budget funds and that replacement packets are sold individually.
