EMMCO presents Sheriff’s
Office with new AED
The Clarion News
May 17th, 2005
The Clarion County Sheriff’s Office recently
received an Automated External Defibrillator through
a Rural Access to Emergency Devices grant. Chris Heile,
assistant director of EMMCO West in Meadville, presented
the AED to Beverly Voris, deputy with the Sheriff’s
office.
CLARION – EMMCO West, Inc., the Regional Emergency
Management Services Office for Northwestern Pennsylvania
, recently awarded the Clarion County Sheriff’s
Office with an Automated External Defibrillators through
a Rural Access to Emergency Devices grant.
According to Clarion County Sheriff Deputy, Beverly
Voris, the AED will be used in the patrol cars.
“The AED will help to be better prepared in
health emergencies when first on the scene,”
said Voris adding that deputies are already certified.
“We just needed a machine.”
Voris added that the goal is to eventually have an
AED for each of the seven patrol cars.
Emergency Management Services also will be informed
so deputies can be dispatched to a scene if they are
in the area.
The Clarion County Sheriff’s Office is one
of 11 agencies to receive an AED as well as training
that will be provided to various agencies including
fire departments, courthouses, law enforcement agencies,
state parks, and fitness centers.
The goal of the program is to reduce mortality rates
by increasing access to defibrillation for patients
experiencing cardiac arrest in rural municipalities.
The grant was made possible by the Office of Rural
Health Policy in the Federal Health Resources and
Services Administration and administered through the
Pennsylvania Department of Health Emergency Medical
Services Office.
EMMCO West, Inc. is Northwestern Pennsylvania ’s
regional Emergency Medical Services Office. EMMCO
West serves providers in Clarion, Crawford, Erie ,
Forest , Mercer, Venango and Warren counties. EMMCO
West is a non-profit board appointee corporate format
with 24 diversified members on the Board of Directors
from Northwestern Pennsylvania hospitals representatives
(Ed Directors, physicians, RNs, administration), EMS
representation from each county, EMA directors, instructors,
EMTs, paramedics, ambulance administrators, to American
Red Cross, Agricultural Extension Office, Active Aging,
volunteer and paid EMS services. EMMCO West is contracted
by the Pennsylvania Department of Health to coordinate,
enhance, and oversee the EMS system within its defined
geographic region in Northwestern Pennsylvania .
The agencies receiving the AEDs in the EMMCO West
region include the Fitness Garage (Meadville), Pennsylvania
Game Commission (Franklin), Goddard State Park (Sandy
Lake), Pymatuning State Park, Clarion County Sheriff’s
Office, Oil Creek State Park, Sandycreek Township
VFD, Youngsville VFD, Grove City Rescue, Hayfield
VFD, and the Warren County Courthouse.
According to the American Heart Association, early
defibrillation is often called the critical link in
the chain of survival, because it’s the only
way to successfully treat most sudden cardiac arrests.
When cardiac arrest occurs, the heart starts to beat
chaotically (fibrillation) and can’t pump blood
efficiently. Time is critical. If a normal heart rhythm
isn’t restored in minutes, the person will die.
In fact, for every minute without defibrillation,
the odds of survival drop 7-10 percent. A sudden cardiac
arrest victim who isn’t defibrillated within
8-10 minutes has virtually no chance of survival.
An AED makes it possible for first responders and
lay people to provide safe defibrillation with relatively
little training. When used as directed, the device
will analyze the victim’s cardiac rhythm and
step-by-step, walk the rescuer through the process.
AED cost $1,200-$2,000 with training $250-$300. The
average life expectancy of an AED is five to seven
years.
The American Heart Association recommends delivery
of the first defibrillation shock within three to
five minutes of cardiac arrest.
“Good Samaritan” legislation protects
first responders from liability and covers AED use. |
