John D. Gomke Charity Donates AED to ADM Schools

On December 13th and 14th Jessica Gomke of the John D. Gomke Charity donated two Zoll AED Defibrillators to the ADM Elementary and DeSoto Intermediate schools.

Faculty at the school were shown how to properly use the Zoll AED Defibrillators on children and adults in a presentation given by Dallas County EMT Mike Thomason.

The Zoll AED was created to be simple to use. With voice commands and lighted prompts, it walks responders through each step of CPR and only allows shock to be administered if needed.

Mike outlined that compression is the most important aspect of CPR. Studies show that compressions allow oxygenated blood to pump through the body without the need of mouth to mouth. It is more important to prop the individuals head up and complete 100, 2 inch deep compressions in one minute until the person wakes up.

As heart failure is uncommon in children, the AED will be most helpful should a child stop breathing. The automated commands will guide responders through the steps of CPR, track the efforts made, and create a report EMT providers will be able to use to assess the patience once they arrive on scene.

Mike went on to explain that “AEDs like this one will save more lives than I will in a lifetime because [paramedics] will always be at least 5 minutes away.”

The John D. Gomke Charity was started by Jessica and Steve Gomke after their infant son John passed away at 33 days old due to CPR complications. The charity raises funds to offer free child and infant CPR and First Aid certification classes.