Julia Brennan

Julia BrennanDirector of CommunicationsKimball Union AcademyPO Box 188Meriden, NH 03770

Julia Brennan, KUA's director of communications, said that during the summer, the academy rents dormitory space and other facilities -- among them the four-lane, 75-foot-long pool -- to a wide variety of organizations.

"They are required, if they use the pool, to provide a certified Red Cross lifeguard," Brennan said."She was there and present."

Brennan added that while the academy does not offer its students a swimming program, "if KUA students used the pool for recreation purposes, we would follow the same protocol outlined in our rules and regulations we use for outside groups."
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"It's a great organization," Brennan said."We're so supportive of their mission."

"I can say it appears the quick response saved his life," said Julia Brennan, director of communications for the private preparatory school, yesterday.

She said Keene is conscious and stable in the pediatric intensive care unit and undergoing a battery of tests to determine what caused his collapse.

Brennan said the school has a defibrillator kept at the field house and a trainer and assistant coach were able to use it and perform CPR before the ambulance arrived, about 5 p.m., Wednesday.
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The response was almost immediate and likely made the difference, Brennan said.

Ambulance crews were at the school within minutes and were able to take over from the staff after they used the defibrillator.

A defibrillator is a portable device that electrically stimulates the heart into returning to a normal beating pattern.The device sends out an electric shock that essentially stops chaotic motions when one is undergoing ventricular fibrillation.

Brennan said Keene's parents, Russell and Edwina Keene were immediately called and met their son at DHMC after the incident.

The gym will reopen this summer, KUA spokeswoman Julia Brennan said, after a new alarm system is installed.

"It's a 200-year-old school, so we have some old buildings and there are some things inherent in an old school," Brennan said."We're committed to working with the state Fire Marshal's Office and the Meriden Fire Department to work out a plan to address all these issues.Three hundred violations sounds huge, but it really isn't that huge when you find out how many buildings there are.It's not like going into a single-family home and finding 300 violations."

KUA has until June 30 to submit a plan to the state detailing how it will fix the remaining problems.Brennan said the school does not have any cost estimate for the work that will have to be done.KUA has almost 40 buildings to support a student body of 300 students in grades 9 through 12.About 220 students live on campus.

Brennan said the private school has not sent any communication to parents about the inspection, which happened over several days in late March.

"There's no real impact on the kids from a safety point of view," Brennan said."We're addressing the issues."
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Brennan said there is some gray area about whether sprinklers were required."I think there's some question of interpretation, so that's one where our safety engineer will be talking to the state Fire Marshal's Office," Brennan said.

And we really try to encourage moms and dads, too, because we want to retain skiers and we think that giving them good quality instructions we can help them enjoy the mountain," said Julia Brennan, director of skiing at Ascutney.

This year, Ascutney's expanded children's learning area, Cheddar's Discovery Zone, has a new people mover and a new Mouse House Lodge just for kids.Also, the resort is offering an $80 first-day package that includes lessons in the morning and afternoon, equipment rental and lift ticket.

"We feel if we can give them a solid first day, [their success] will be a lot higher and the enjoyment will be a lot better," Brennan said.

At Bretton Woods in New Hampshire, they have created a program for first timers that is so separate that it's across the street from the mountain at the Mount Washington Hotel.Participants meet at the Hotel, where they learn the basics - from boot fit and equipment selection - and take lessons on their very own groomed slope with a red carpet people mover to bring them up the hill.