Source: youarecurrent.com
The City of Westfield and the Westfield Fire Dept. have launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds to purchase three automated external defibrillators that will be placed at Grand Junction Plaza, Quaker Park along the Midland Trace and the Monon Trail.
The AEDs are housed in a specifically designed, climate-controlled cabinet known as a SaveStation, which can tolerate extreme weather and is available to anyone in the immediate area. Use of the device does not require specialized training, officials said.
The City of Carmel already has SaveStations along the Monon Greenway, officials said.
“Once people cross 146th Street along the Monon, we wanted to ensure we were consistent with what users know to look for,” WFD Chief Rob Gaylor said. “These AEDs will be accessible to the public and monitored 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.”
Mayor Andy Cook said the devices will play an important role.
“More and more people are coming to understand the importance of quick action when someone suffers a cardiac arrest and are more aware of how vital AEDs can be in saving lives when used quickly,” Cook said. “We know that our parks and trails continue to see increased usage, and it’s important that residents know there are safeguards in place to protect them.”
The WFD said the city participates in the PulsePoint program, a free citizen emergency response app that allows anyone with a smartphone trained in CPR to register as a certified citizen responder. Local emergency dispatchers activate an alert to notify nearby app users in a public emergency situation that can allow certified citizen responders to provide help.
PulsePoint users are only notified if someone is suffering cardiac arrest in a public place, city officials said. The PulsePoint app alerts users within a quarter mile of a victim if they can respond quicker than paramedic crews.
City officials said that when someone suffers from sudden cardiac arrest, each minute without CPR decreases survival by 10 percent.
“Even with adequate response times from local agencies, it can take several minutes for medic crews to arrive. Between six and eight minutes without CPR, brain death occurs,” officials said.
To donate to the crowdfunding campaign, visit crowdfunding.savestation.ca/fundraisers/AEDs4Westfield/
