A bill signed by Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine this week will require automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to be installed in nearly all Ohio schools and sports and recreation facilities.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A new Ohio law will require automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to be installed in nearly all schools and sports and recreation facilities in the state, a change made after Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin went into sudden cardiac arrest during a Monday Night Football game in Cincinnati last year.
Hamlin praised the bill’s sponsors, the state Legislature, and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, who signed the bill into law Tuesday, for saving lives.
“I’ve always considered Ohio a second home, and I’m pleased that this new legislation will ensure the places where our state’s young people learn, play and compete are safer, stronger and better equipped to respond to cardiac emergencies,” he said in a statement. “This is a huge win for young people across Ohio.”
The new law requires that all public schools, city sports and recreation facilities such as gyms and pools, and some private schools have AEDs. Ohio’s previous law allowed school districts to mandate AEDs, but it was a discretionary decision for each school district.
Hamlin went into cardiac arrest after making what appeared to be a routine tackle during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals broadcast to a primetime national audience in January 2023, collapsed and had to be resuscitated on the field.
The resulting law also requires employees to receive special training on how to use AEDs and how to recognize the signs of cardiac arrest, and requires schools to hold information sessions about sudden cardiac arrest for students before the start of sports seasons.
Under the act, the Ohio Department of Health must develop a model emergency action plan for schools, centers and sports organizations to adopt regarding the use of AEDs.
