AED & First Aid in Schools

First Aid Providers, Exemptions, and Individual Courses

The Montana Board of Outfitters provides a list of First Aid Providers, Exemptions, and Individual Courses who have been approved by the Board of Outfitters to offer basic first aid classes in Montana.

Basic First Aid Courses : Sponsored by the Red Cross, schools and staff can use this tool to search for basic first aid training opportunities.

The Cardiac Ready Communities Program at the Montana Department of Health and Human Services (DPHHS) has an excellent toolkit that can help your school determine its readiness to handle a cardiac emergency. This toolkit is a useful starting point to assess your needs and understand what is involved in acquiring equipment and training personnel.

For more information about the Cardiac Ready Communities Program, as well as names of on-site AED trainers and information on registering AEDs at your school, contact Janet Trethewey, EdD, Cardiac Ready Communities Program Manager, 406-444-0442, or visit the Cardiac Ready Communities website . Visit the Public Access Defibrillation website for information on registering AEDs at your location.

CPR-in-a-Box

CPR-in-a-Box : All Montana counties received at least two CPR-in-a-Box totes that contain all the materials needed to teach hands-only CPR and AED use. Visit the CPR-in-a-Box link for an interactive map showing the names of people who have the totes. Hands-only CPR can be taught by anyone using the video. Participants do not receive a card upon completion.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation Resources

The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation provides information about grant writing and details on various AED models. Their campaign, “You Can Save a Life at School,” focuses on many school-related resources. The Foundation also partners with several AED equipment providers on their AEDs on the Market page . They do not make recommendations but advise that “the best AED is the one that is well-maintained, well-marked, and readily available, which arrives at the patient's side quickly.”

Simulation in Motion Montana : Three mobile simulation training trucks with a suite of high-definition simulation manikins provide realistic training opportunities for health professionals and students interested in medical fields, especially from the perspective of emergency technicians. The front of the trucks has pull-out areas that simulate an emergency room; the back simulates an ambulance. Visit the Mobile SIM Montana website to learn how your school can request a SIM truck to augment first aid training and education.

Havre Daily News – Mobile Medical Truck Stops in Havre – 8/31/2017.

AED and First Aid Training Resources

For AED training for staff, contact the American Heart Association or your local EMS Agency. They can provide training. A hands-only CPR course meets the state requirements for training.

• American Heart Association : Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC) training and online courses.
• Best Practice Medicine , based in Bozeman, is a licensed American Heart Association training site.
• CPR in Schools Training Kit : The American Heart Association's CPR in Schools Training Kit enables students (grades 6–12) to learn CPR in one class period, and also teaches AED use and choking relief. The kit is designed for schools, includes a wheeled bag for transport and storage, and is reusable so one kit can train hundreds of people.
• EMS for Children Program at Montana DPHHS: Contact Robin Suzor, EMS for Children Program Manager, 406-444-0901.
• Montana School Health Program : Accredited and non-accredited first aid trainings developed by school health partners, including topics such as allergies and anaphylaxis, asthma, concussion and traumatic brain injury, diabetes, fitness, and hands-only CPR.
• The OPI's Teacher Learning Hub offers online training opportunities for teachers on a wide array of topics.