SOURCE: The Decatur Daily News
by Holly Hollman

Defibrillators.

It's a word that's as hard to spell as it is to pronounce.

It's a device, however, that saved Sen. Tom Butler's life.

Athens Superintendent Orman Bridges Jr. wonders if the device could have saved one of his student's lives.

On Tuesday, Athens City Schools received six defibrillators from Stop Heart Attack for $10,662 after getting the state funding from Butler.

That gives the system a total of seven devices, one for each school.

Butler, D-Madison, said he's been able to get funding to put defibrillators in each public school in his district, which includes part of Limestone County.

"My goal is to get one in every school in the state," he said.

About 14 years ago, Butler was taking a five-mile walk near his home when he "dropped dead at mile four."

A volunteer firefighter used a defibrillator to shock Butler's heart.

Shock a heart

The device can shock a heart that has stopped beating or is beating irregularly and force it to beat at a steady rhythm.

When Athens got its first defibrillator in 2003, Bridges shared a story about being superintendent in Mississippi when a fifth-grader at one of his schools died in the classroom.

"You can't imagine how devastating that was," Bridges said.

The boy had returned to his class after physical education.

"He sat down, then fell out and died," Bridges said.

An autopsy revealed the boy had an enlarged heart.

"Using a defibrillator might not have saved him, but we could have tried," Bridges said.

Athens school nurse Nadine Rockwell said she hasn't yet used a defibrillator at a school.

"We've brought one to an emergency scene twice, but didn't need it," Rockwell said. "But it's great to know we have them."

Voice prompts

She said the staff will be trained to use them, and the device has voice prompts to help users correctly administer a shock.

Rockwell said the devices are available at athletic practices, and that Athens High keeps one at the school and one at the football stadium.