What Every Staff Member Needs to Know About AEDs

It’s the end of the day. A physical education class is winding down, and basketballs echo across the gym. One of your students is running up the floor and starts to slow down. The student stumbles. You hear it before you see it. A thud… then silence... then yelling.

You rush over. The student appears to be convulsing. He’s not responding. You hear gurgling and snorting sounds. His chest rises unevenly and intermittently. Is it a seizure? You check his pulse — Nothing.

He’s experiencing sudden cardiac arrest.

Someone calls 911. Someone else screams for an AED (Automated External Defibrillator). And you freeze. You’re the adult in charge. You know what an AED is, and you’ve seen the sign in the hallway, but you’ve never used one. You’ve seen Michael Scott teach CPR in ‘The Office’ and know that you have to go to the rhythm of ‘Stayin’ Alive,’ but in the back of your mind, a quiet fear creeps in. You’re not a nurse, not an athletic trainer. You’ve never done this before. And what if, just maybe, using the AED will make their condition worse?

That hesitation is common, but it is also dangerous. When a student collapses from sudden cardiac arrest, every second counts. Research indicates that if defibrillation is administered within the first minute, the chance of survival can be as high as 90 percent. However, for each minute that passes without defibrillation, the likelihood of survival decreases by approximately 7–10 percent (American Heart Association, 2023).

The student is already in cardiac arrest. The only thing that can make it worse is waiting to respond.

AEDs Are Safe
AEDs are designed for moments like this. They’re built to be used by anyone, even those with no medical training. And while everyone should be trained on how to use an AED, you can still be successful in using one without proper training (Hansen et al., 2017).

When you turn one on, it tells you exactly what to do:
“Remove clothing from the patient’s chest.”
“Remove protective cover and take out adhesive pads.”
“Apply pads to bare skin.”
“Analyzing heart rhythm… do not touch the patient.”
“Shock advised. Do not touch the patient and press the flashing button to deliver the shock.”

The AED reads the heart’s electrical signals and uses built-in technology to decide whether a shock is needed. If it’s needed, the AED prompts you to deliver one. If not, it won’t let you. You cannot shock someone who doesn’t need it. You cannot override the machine. You can’t make it worse.

AEDs work by detecting two deadly heart rhythms: ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular tachycardia. These rhythms cause the heart to quiver instead of pump blood. The shock from the AED aims to stop this disorganized activity, giving the heart a chance to reset and return to a normal rhythm. And if it doesn’t return to normal after the first shock, the AED tells you when to start or stop CPR and continues monitoring until EMS arrives.

The Real Danger Is Doing Nothing
EMS typically takes 8-12 minutes to arrive, and response times in rural areas can be even longer. When we discuss diminishing survival rates of 7–10 percent per minute without defibrillation, 8-12 minutes isn’t good enough. In most cases, the victim has to receive defibrillation from an AED on site in order to survive.

A 2024 incident at a Texas middle school tragically illustrated this. A 14-year-old collapsed during physical education class. The school had an AED, but the pads were expired. It wasn’t used and the student tragically passed away (Taboada, 2024).

Now contrast that with what happened in January at Spaulding High School in Barre, Vermont. A visiting basketball player collapsed mid-game. The staff responded immediately, beginning CPR. They quickly retrieved the AED, delivered a shock and the student-athlete was revived before EMS arrived (Stoever, 2025).

The difference between these two stories was planning, confidence in the plan, but above all – action.

Three Questions Every Staff Member Should Be Able to Answer

Where is the nearest AED?
If you don’t know, or if it would take more than three minutes to retrieve, it’s too far. Remember, time is the issue in this case. You have to have the AED available to give the victim the best chance of survival.

Are the pads and batteries up to date?
AEDs don’t work if they aren’t maintained. Someone needs to check them every month to ensure that the equipment is operational. The only thing worse than not having the equipment is having the equipment and it not being in working condition.

Have you ever touched or opened an AED?
If the first time you interact with one is during an emergency, it’s already too late to build confidence. Being familiar with how the AED works, what buttons need to be pressed, and how to apply the pads will make you feel confident in using it—and more likely to act if an emergency happens!

The Bottom Line
When a student collapses, EMS is still minutes away. For those first critical moments, you are the responder. Not by title, but by presence. You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t need to be calm. You just need to act.

References
American Heart Association. (2023). CPR facts and stats. https://cpr.heart.org

Hansen, C. M., Kragholm, K., Pearson, D. A., Tyson, C., Monk, L., Myers, B., ... & Chan, P. S. (2017). Layperson ability to use automated external defibrillators. Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, 10(10), e004512. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.117.004512

Stoever, J. (2025, January 7). Milton High School student goes into cardiac arrest during basketball game in Barre. My- NBC5. https://www.mynbc5.com/article/milton-high-schoolstudent-goes-into-cardiac-arrest-during-basketball-game-in-barre/63355600

Taboada, M. (2024, February 8). AED expired, not used before 14-year-old student died. Houston Chronicle. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/education/article/aedbills-texas-lege-20244223.php

Kyle Peckham is a certified athletic trainer providing support for the athletes and students at Rice Memorial High School in South Burlington, Vermont. He is also an advocate for increased AED access and use, having just testified before the Vermont Senate Education Committee promoting that cause.