Officials urging AED units

Officials urging AED units
The more automated external defibrillators available in a community and the larger the number of people trained to administer CPR, the more lives that can be saved, officials say.

To help accomplish those two feats, the Alpena Fire Department has partnered with a supplier to offer AED units to locals at discount rates and to provide CPR training to those who need it.

An AED is a portable defibrillator device that can restart a non-beating heart or return it to normal rhythm. They also can walk users through the CPR process.

Andy Marceau, Alpena Fire Department community risk reduction captain, said that, when someone is having a heart attack, every second counts. He said the new initiative will help to provide AED units to churches, businesses, and nonprofit clubhouses at a discounted rate.

“A person’s chance of survival goes down by 10% with every minute that passes without care,” Marceau said. “So, if it takes 10 minutes, the chance of survival is almost nil. An AED is what makes the difference. You can do the best CPR, but you have to have an AED.”

Scott Prell had a heart attack while running the Dork Brothers 5K race last year and his life was likely saved when other racers administered CPR and paramedics utilized an AED to shock his heart. Prell said he likely would not have survived if not for the quick action of his fellow racers and the Fire Department staff.

“I went into cardiac arrest and collapsed, and, thankfully, the runner behind me realized there was a problem and called 911 and assisted until Alpena Fire arrived very quickly,” Prell said. “At that time, it was determined I needed to be shocked and they restarted my heart. The knowledge on how to use CPR and an AED saved my life.”

Tim Ketelhut, senior business development manager for Team Life, said the model of AED being offered is state of the art. A recording walks users through the shock process step by step and can tell users how to accurately administer CPR. He said that, unlike many units, the voltage of the shock is calibrated to the victim and their condition, while many units are preprogrammed and only have one setting. He said the device also monitors the pace and pressure of CPR compressions and can instruct the user to speed up, slow down, or to apply more or less pressure in real time.

Ketelhut credited Marceau for formulating the plan for the program. He said becoming partners will make a difference in the community.

“Getting more of these things out there is the name of the game, because, when you’re in cardiac arrest, you don’t have time to spare,” Ketelhut said. “If you don’t have an electrical solution there at the time, your chances of surviving drop dramatically.”

The discounted price of the until is about $1,500, Ketelhut said. He said it is important for people to not get sticker shock at the price and, instead, to think of it as only $100 a year, because the units have a life expectancy of about 15 years.

“Is $100 a year a value to put this in your business if it can save a customer or employee’s life?” he said. “I think it is.”

Prell urges people to get trained in CPR and how to use an AED, because he wants to hear more stories like his than ones in which a person dies.

“That knowledge is what will save someone’s life,” he said. “It saved my life and it will save someone else’s life, as well.”