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Escambia County Purchases AED’s For Community Centers, Ballparks
March 18, 2016
Between football games last September, a youth league coach fell onto the field at Northview High School in full cardiac arrest.
In the moments that followed, the pieces of a lifesaving puzzle quickly fell into place. Husband and wife medics, a doctor and other football fans trained in CPR rushed to the field, literally taking turns performing chest compression on the beloved coach. An Automated External Defibrillator (AED) was retrieved from a nearby building, an ambulance arrived, and prayers were said.
The coach was revived and has since made a full recovery.
The incident led to a vote Thursday night by the Escambia County Commission to place 32 AED’s at ballparks and community centers with athletic programs throughout the county. The purchase includes 32 fully automatic AED’s with voice prompts, wall cabinets, adapter kits to make each AED usable on children and four years of service and onside preventative maintenance. The LifePak CR PLus AED’s are the same model used on Escambia County EMS ambulances.
The $54,681.29 bid was awarded to CPR Savers and First Aid Supply, LLC. Low bidder was Second Chance Medical Products, but the company’s bid did not include on-site preventive maintenance nor did they have a service representative within a 50-mile radius as requested in the invitation to bid.
“This was a case where EMS could take a relatively small amount of a money and invest it in making the community safer,” Escambia County Public Safety Director Mike Weaver said. He said that community and sports group members will be provided AED training, and CPR training will be made available for the public.
The county will also allow churches and non-profit groups to purchase the same model AED’s at the county’s contract price, with advance payment.
For last September’s story about the coach, click here.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Comments
6 Responses to “Escambia County Purchases AED’s For Community Centers, Ballparks”
Who do you contact to purchase the AED’s?
Great news. A lifesaving device that most people can operate.
Wonderful news! A wise investment indeed.
Good story. I’m a former EMT and in the 1980’s we didn’t have the AED’s at our Volunteer Fire Department. It’s great that average citizens can use these things now.
Probably the wisest investment made by the commission in a VERY long time.
This is really good to hear! CPR and AED’s save lives. If you aren’t trained, it’s fairly easy to get training. The hardest part is to set aside the time to do it.
The life you save could be your husband, wife, son or daughter or other loved ones.