New Ohio law mandates defibrillators in schools, sports venues

Columbus, Ohio — A new Ohio law requires automated external defibrillators, or AEDs, to be placed in nearly every school and sports and recreation facility in the state. The change comes after Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin suffered sudden cardiac arrest during a Monday Night Football game in Cincinnati last year.

Hamlin praised the proposal’s proponents, the state legislature and Ohio’s Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, who signed the bill Tuesday, for saving lives.

“I will always consider Ohio my second home, and I am excited that this new law will make the places across the state where young people learn, play and compete safer, more resilient and better prepared to respond to cardiac arrest,” he said in a statement. “This is a huge win for young people across Ohio.”

The new law requires all public schools, municipal sports and recreation facilities such as gymnasiums and swimming pools, and some private schools to have AEDs on site. Previous Ohio law allowed school districts to require AEDs on site, but made this a choice up to individual districts.

Hamlin went into cardiac arrest, fell to the ground and had to be resuscitated on the field after making a routine tackle during a nationally televised primetime game against the Cincinnati Bengals in January 2023.

The law prompted by his episode also requires employees to undergo special training on using AEDs and recognizing the signs of cardiac arrest. Information sessions for students on sudden cardiac arrest would be mandatory before the start of a sports season.

By law, the Ohio Department of Health must develop a model emergency plan for schools, centers and athletic groups regarding the use of AEDs.