Every school in NYC would be required to have “airway clearance devices” to help prevent choking deaths under a City Council bill gaining bipartisan steam.
The legislation sponsored by Bronx Republican Kristy Marmorato would mandate that city schools stock the portable, suction-based devices on site.
It already has support from 11 Democrats and four other Republicans, and was expected to be the subject of a public hearing this month.
The devices, which can be self-administered and are considered an alternative to the Heimlich maneuver, usually run $50 to $70 each, but Long Island-based LifeVac has offered to supply each Big Apple school with a device and an instructional video on how they work at no charge, according to the company.
Heidi Felix, LifeVac’s vice president of sales, said the company has already donated more than 10,000 devices to schools nationwide and welcomes doing the same in NYC.
There’s more than 1,800 public schools and about 900 private schools in the Big Apple.
The issue is personal for Marmorato.
She had a scary incident eight years ago when her then-18-month-old daughter choked on a piece of apple.
A trained health care professional, Marmorato was able to save her daughter — but recalled it was a “very frightening experience.”
Her grandfather, Michael Rendino, died three decades ago while choking on a piece of meat at a restaurant after the Heimlich maneuver failed.
“This is not just about my child,” she said. “It’s about all the children in New York City. Even if one device saves one kid’s life, it’s tremendous, and it’s a win for parents and families.”
She said she expects the legislation to be approved,considering it won’t cost taxpayers a cent.
Albany pols are reviewing similar legislation to require schools statewide to stock “airway clearance devices.”
City Hall spokesman Zachary Nosanchuk said the Department of Education and Mayor’s Office will review the legislation, but added “we continue to train [school] staff to use the Heimlich maneuver” because it remains the “recommended first-aid technique to save children who are choking.”
