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Committee hears bill to require AEDs and CPR-trained staff at school sports events; advocates stress quick access and training
Summary
Representative Margaret Dreis's proposal would require schools to follow evidence-based guidelines on automatic external defibrillators and CPR at athletic events; the American Heart Association supported an appropriation for high-need schools and said New Hampshire EMS offers reduced-price AED purchasing.
Representative Margaret Drei, prime sponsor of House Bill 763, asked the committee to require schools to follow evidence-based guidance for automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and cardiopulmonary resuscitation at school sporting events and practices where pupils participate.
The bill text, as presented, specifies that schools and school districts should have AED devices and at least one person trained in CPR available for activities “in which pupils of the school are participating.” Drei said most New Hampshire schools already have at least one AED but the bill would focus resources, including a modest state appropriation, on ensuring coverage for every venue and event where pupils are present.
Nancy Vaughan and Nancy Vaughn (American Heart Association, New Hampshire) spoke for the association, outlining a formula the AHA uses nationally and noting the New Hampshire Department of Safety maintains an AED purchasing contract that substantially reduces per-unit cost for local purchasers. Vaughn said the AHA’s priority is getting an AED and trained rescuers close enough to a cardiac arrest for the device to be effective; high-quality CPR plus AED use substantially improves survival.
Committee members pressed sponsors on logistics: whether every practice field must have a device, how districts with multiple off-campus fields should comply, and whether a single device may be sufficient when venues are adjacent. AHA representatives and the sponsor said the statutory intention is to follow national response-time guidance — locating AEDs so someone can reach them in minutes — and that public-health guidance informs where purchase and training resources should be prioritized rather than strictly requiring one device per field in all configurations.
No formal committee action was taken on HB 763 at this hearing. The committee received technical questions about definitions and logistics and the sponsor said sponsors would work on clarifying language and potential appropriations.
Why this matters: Sudden cardiac arrest is rare in youth but survival depends on rapid CPR and early defibrillation. The bill aims to standardize access and funding to reduce preventable deaths and serious injuries during school-sponsored athletic activities.
Speakers quoted are identified in the committee record.
