NYC Mayor Signs Law Requiring Defibrillators During Youth Baseball Games

All baseball fields on city-owned land will be required to have a defibrillator onsite during youth baseball games under a new law Mayor de Blasio signed on May 10, 2016.

The devices are needed because a kid’s heart can stop if a player is hit in the chest. Defibrillators deliver a shock to the system to restart breathing. City Councilman Steven Mattes convinced that the new law will “save lives”, he is also a youth baseball coach and sponsored the bill. The defibrillators and training on how to use it will be paid for by the city. Mattes knows that the city has “the opportunity to prevent needless deaths‎, but we must take action to expand the availability of these devices.”  Leagues will be required to bring AEDs to every game and practice and ensure a trained coach or umpire is present.

“Sudden cardiac arrest is the number one cause of death in this country, and among the leading cause of death in young athletes,” Matteo said. “An automated external defibrillator is a person’s best chance of surviving a Sudden Cardiac Arrest.”