A life-saving device is now part of the lineup at Sto-Rox.<\/p>\n
The school received an AED from Damar Hamlin\u2019s Chasing M\u2019s Foundation and the NFL.<\/p>\n
Because of a new state law signed this past spring, every school in the PIAA is required to have an automated external defibrillator at every single sporting event. <\/p>\n
It hits especially close to home at Sto-Rox with all of the work Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin has done to increase access to AEDs and CPR classes since he went into cardiac arrest<\/a> on the football field three years ago. <\/p>\n RELATED COVERAGE >>> Damar Hamlin returns to Pittsburgh for program that unites people with cardiac conditions<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI got it in the mail. I was like, \u2018Oh, I seen him in the NFL,\u2019 and I lit up. I was like, \u2018Wow, that\u2019s cool,\u2019\u201d Sto-Rox Athletic Director Shomari Phelps said.<\/p>\n Thirty Pennsylvania schools got AEDs during the draft, an initiative that pushed the foundation past $1 million worth of AED donations. <\/p>\n Damar Hamlin\u2019s father, Mario Hamlin, said, \u201cIt\u2019s a full-circle moment for my son, you know, he takes great pride into making sure that he\u2019s able to keep the youth safe.\u201d<\/p>\n Hamlin tells Channel 11 Sports it\u2019s a milestone bigger than football. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just impact on the world I truly never seen myself being able to make, but something that I always wanted to be able to leave behind. A name that will last longer than me. I think being able to save these lives of people that I\u2019ll never meet is something that will keep me a household name for a very long time.\u201d<\/p>\n Chasing M\u2019s also pushes for legislative action, like Greg Moyer\u2019s Law in Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the law that mandates AEDs at PIAA games and practices, named for Moyer, who went into cardiac arrest and died at a high school basketball game in 2000.<\/p>\n Sto-Rox already had AED access and training requirements for coaches in place, but Athletic Director Shomari Phelps is happy to see renewed precaution for a new school year. <\/p>\n \u201cTo be proactive instead of reactive in those situations. So, I\u2019m glad that you know it is mandated by law, and it\u2019s something that we take very seriously here,\u201d Phelps said.<\/p>\n It\u2019s something Hamlin\u2019s foundation hopes will become the standard. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m really hoping that this common sense bill is adopted by all 50 states, and that just the people know that being prepared saves lives,\u201d Mario Halmin said.<\/p>\n The American Heart Association says immediate access to AEDs and CPR can double or even triple survival rates. <\/p>\n Download the FREE WPXI News app<\/a> for breaking news alerts.<\/p>\n Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>. | Watch WPXI NOW<\/a><\/p>\n TOP STORIES FROM CHANNEL 11 NEWS <\/p>\n \u00a92026 Cox Media Group<\/p>\n