Appendix A

Sudden Cardiac Arrest Preparedness – Cardiac Emergency Response Plan (CERP)

PURPOSE

In compliance with Education Law §2801-a(n) (Desha’s Law) and Public Health Law §917, Ulster BOCES has established a Cardiac Emergency Response Plan (CERP) to ensure a prompt, coordinated, and effective response to incidents of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) or similar life-threatening emergencies occurring on any school site or at any school-sponsored event, including athletic programs. This section provides the district-wide framework for cardiac emergency preparedness and response, to be supplemented by building-specific CERP annexes within each Building-Level Emergency Response Plan. Building-level annexes must include venue-specific response protocols for all athletic facilities and off-site events, identifying AED locations, access routes, and trained personnel coverage.

POLICY STATEMENT

Ulster BOCES will maintain a district-wide CERP aligned with the American Heart Association’s (AHA) evidence-based core elements. The plan shall be reviewed annually by the District-Wide Safety Committee and approved by the Board of Education. Each building shall develop and maintain a venue-specific CERP annex that conforms to the standards established in this section and follows the NYSED functional annex format requirements for Building-Level Emergency Response Plans.

CORE COMPONENTS

  • Cardiac Emergency Response Team (CERT): Minimum of 5 trained responders or 10% of building staff, whichever is greater. Roles may include CPR provider, AED retriever, 911 caller, EMS liaison, and crowd control.
  • CPR/AED Training Requirements: The district-wide school safety team may provide first aid, CPR, and AED training for relevant staff, including members of building-level emergency response teams.
  • AED Placement and Maintenance: AEDs located to allow retrieval and deployment within 3 minutes from any location on campus; clearly marked, unlocked during events, maintained per manufacturer guidelines; maintenance and inspection logs kept at each building with the building Nurses.
  • Communication Protocols: Internal – CERT activation and role assignments; External – Immediate EMS activation (call 911) and coordination with responding agencies.
  • Practice Drills: At least one annual CERP drill per building, including AED retrieval and CPR initiation and measurement of time from collapse recognition to AED application, with a goal of 3 minutes or less; drill reviews documented in after-action reports.
  • Continuous Improvement: Annual review of the plan and post-incident/debrief updates to procedures. An after-action report will be completed within 24 hours of any cardiac emergency or drill and forwarded to the Safety Team for review and follow-up actions.

EMS COORDINATION

The Ulster BOCES Safety Team and building administrators will coordinate with local EMS to integrate CERP procedures into community responder protocols, including site orientation and AED location information. This coordination will occur at least annually and will include sharing updated AED maps, site access points, and any changes in CERT composition or building layout.

RECORDKEEPING AND REPORTING

CPR/AED training records will be maintained by Human Resources. AED maintenance records will be maintained by Facilities. Drill and incident documentation will be retained by the building administrator and forwarded to the Safety Team and Risk Management Department.