FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Chardon FD Buys Portable Defibrillator with grant money
By Capt. John Blauch, RN, Paramedic
10/30/2000 -- Chardon Village, Ohio
The Chardon Fire Department has purchased a $3500 Automated External
Defibrillator (AED) with money received from two grants from The State of Ohio
Department of Emergency Services & the Save-a-Heart Program from Prudential
Insurance Corp. The Laerdal Heartstart FR2 AED will be placed on the
primary responding fire engine, 3322. This device, complete with EKG
screen, will enable personnel on the engine to begin advanced life support
procedures when Chardon Fire Department rescue squads are busy on other
calls. The engine is being equipped with paramedic level equipment to
serve as a 3rd "ambulance" in a crisis.
The AED can be used by
firemen, EMT's, Paramedics, & police officers who are trained in it's
use. The device is applied only to pulseless, unresponsive victims.
It reads the heart rhythm using two adhesive pads, connected to the machine by a
set of cables. A combination of voice prompts and visual displays guide
the rescuer through the steps to deliver an electical shock (defibrillation)
through the cables, in the hopes of converted lethal cardiac disturbances.
The American Heart Association endorses this device as the #1 most definitive
therapy for sudden cardiac arrest. It is estimated that over 150,000
people can be saved yearly if AED's are made widely available in public
places. The widespread implementation of AED's in public places has led to
dramatic improvements in survival for hundreds of cardiac arrest victims
nationwide. Recently, the use of AED's by lay persons and bystanders was
placed under the protection of Ohio's Good Samaritan Act, which protects citizen
first aiders from litigation.
To see a demonstration of the new AED purchased
by the Chardon Fire Department, click on 3rd demo listed at the internet
link, http://www.healthcare.agilent.com/cardiology/demo/,
then click on the Heartstream FR2 interactive screen (the flash version is VERY
cool).
The Chardon Fire Department intends to buy two additional AED's for
response vehicles with future grant money. We encourage area residents to
be proactive towards requesting that AED's be placed in their community's police
and sheriff's cruisers, as well as their schools and athletic fields.
Learn more about grassroots efforts to put AED's in all public places by
clicking on the picture link at the bottom of this web page (www.padl.org).
For More Information Contact:
Chardon Fire Department
110 S. Hambden St. Chardon, OH 44024
Tel: 440-285-4665
FAX: 440-285-8320
Internet: Capt. John Blauch
