Two AEDs given to BHS, new unit installed at football field

The student body president and vice president at Bigfork High School presented the district office with two automated external defibrillators on Monday, which were purchased by Serra Valentine using money donated from community members.

Kodie Kunsman and Matt McGady, along with Cheyne Valentine, Serra's son, handed over the units to district business manager Eda Taylor, who said the district was "thrilled" and that she would consult with school officials on how best to utilize the donation.

Taylor said afterward that the AEDs would have to be formally accepted by the school board, likely just a formality at this point.

There has been much tension between Valentine and the district and school board over the donation of money for AED units or AED units themselves, which has boiled over at a few heated board meetings.

Valentine held a fundraiser in Bigfork and has been splashed across media outlets for her efforts to purchase additional units for the school to keep at all athletic practice facilities. Her push comes in the wake of BHS football player Jeffrey Bowman's collapse at a pre-season football practice in 2007 and his subsequent death.

The models purchased by Valentine are not the same model as the ones the school currently owns, which has been one of many sticking points in the donation process. The school installed an AED made by Cardiac Science — the same model as their other three units — in the coaches room of the concession stand building on the football field last week. That unit was purchased using funds donated from Valentine's drive. The units donated by Valentine are Heartsine Samaritan brand AEDs, which use different battery packs and pads and operate slightly differently from the other models.

Taylor, a long-time paramedic with the Bigfork QRU, said that having multiple types of units could bring some difficulties with upkeep and training, and that before the new units are given to anyone, a plan for training and upkeep specific to the different models will need to be hammered out.

Bigfork Schools Superintendent Russ Kinzer said the AEDs would also need to be examined by Doug Smith, a familiar face with the Bigfork QRU, who would help the district determine the best location and application for the donated units.

"Doug Smith's evaluation in a school setting is going to be really important," Kinzer said.

Among the issues Smith will examine is whether the new units have special pads and settings for pediatric use, a lack of which would preclude the AEDs from being used where small children could be present.

"If the unit is traveling with the girls basketball team, that might not matter," Taylor said.

Valentine's son, Cheyne, who was a stand-out wide receiver for the Vikings this year, assisted with the fundraiser, his mother said.