OXFORD – Speed increases chances of survival when it comes to medical emergencies pertaining to the heart, the SAD 17 school board was told Monday night.

Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School nurse Anne Johnson said using a defibrillator within three minutes can increase survival chances by up to 10 times.

The defibrillator sends an electronic stimulus to the heart.

SAD 17 received a gift last June from Alice Cornwall that would place five defibrillators in the district: two at the high school, and one each at the Oxford Hills Middle School, the Guy E. Rowe Elementary School and Oxford Elementary School.

Johnson is coordinating the training of personnel at those sites on using the devices.

She said the defibrillator could only be used on those who were at least 8 years of age and weighed at least 55 pounds.

Johnson explained that the device could not be used on someone who did not need the stimulus.

“The leads coming from the machine are color coded and have pictures on them,” Johnson explained.

She said the defibrillator only gives a shock when the heart displays two specific rhythms.

The user of the device follows prerecorded instructions dictated by the reading the device gets from the heart of the person.

In other business, Superintendent Mark Eastman told the board that preliminary design plans for the Paris Elementary School were somewhat coolly received by Department of Education officials in Augusta.

“We haven’t passed muster yet,” Eastman said. “I’m not as optimistic as I was before I went to Augusta.”

He said the DOE did not endorse the pitched roof concept presented by Lewis & Malm Architects, Bucksport, the same firm that designed the Hebron Station School.

Rick Malm, an architect with Lewis & Malm, had told the board in a previous meeting that he hoped to have the final design approved in March and then construction bidding would be able to be held in February 2005 and occupancy in the spring of 2006.

Eastman said pitched roofs could be used but their cost would have to be a local cost. He did not have estimates as to how much that would be at this time.

He did say that the DOE was supportive of the academic space.

The board also honored Barbara Maguire, head custodian at Otisfield Elementary School, as staff person of the month.

[email protected]