Suffolk County Legislature Presiding Officer William J. Lindsay today announced his four-point plan for improving access to Automated Electronic Defibrillators (AEDs) especially in downtown areas. Lindsay’s plan includes:

1. $10k for access project in Sayville providing for AEDs at locations along Main Street.

2. Requiring additional signage to pinpoint locations of Public Access Defibrillators (PADS) to increase visibility (IR 1096).

3. Directing the County Department of Health Services (DHS) to make its database of AED locations available to all 911 dispatchers (IR 1095).

4. Directing the Department of Information Technology to perform a feasibility study in relation to the creation of a phone application for finding AEDs in Suffolk County (IR 1098 – approved by the legislature on March 2, 2010).

“The simple fact of the matter is that increasing access to these devices is going to save lives in Suffolk County,” said Presiding Officer Lindsay. “When someone is having a heart attack, a matter of seconds in getting an AED to that victim is often the difference between life and death.”

Automated external defibrillators are simple-to-use, lifesaving devices that treat cardiac arrhythmias and many businesses and public buildings have started purchasing them to have on-site so that individuals with cardiac problems can be treated while waiting for emergency medical care to arrive.

The Suffolk County Department of Health Services has a database containing the locations of all AEDs in the County, so improving signage and giving emergency 911 dispatchers access to the AED database as a tool they can use when taking medical emergency calls are simple ways to save lives.

“With the number of defibrillators in the County increasing all the time, it makes it more and more likely that an AED will be located very close to a heart attack victim,” said Legislator Lindsay. “If 911 operators have that list, they can direct the first people helping a heart attack victim to a life-saving device that might be right next door.”

"Community Ambulance is a big supporter of placing AED's throughout our EMS District and utilizing the PAD program, which provides AEDs,” said Jamie Atkinson, Chief of Department
Sayville Community Ambulance Company. "We are committed to provide funding, CPR/AED training and AED's machines through our community to save lives, increase the response of trained responders and make our EMS District the safest place to live."

"Last year the Baymen Soccer Club's participation in the PAD program, the quick response of bystanders providing CPR, the use of an AED and our Ambulance Company proved instrumental in saving a patients life,” Atkinson continued. "Community Ambulance offers CPR and AED training free of charge to our community upon request."Saving a life can be an unexpected rewarding experience. We encourage all members of the community to learn CPR and AED,"

“Resolution 1095-10 is a life-saving tool that will benefit every resident in Suffolk County,” said Karen Acompora, president of the Louis J. Acompora Memorial Foundation. “Having AED locations readily available will save precious time in the event of a sudden cardiac arrest. With every minute that passes a person’s chance of survival drops by 10%. Having the accessibility to AED locations on a 911 call will certainly give rescuers the tools they need quickly in the event of a sudden cardiac arrest situation. AED signage will also enhance the accessibility of AED locations for potential rescuers. We have the technology to save a life from sudden cardiac arrest and now it is time to take it a step further and make sure that AEDs can be easily located in the event they are needed.”

Introductory Resolutions (IR) 1095 and 1096 were assigned to the Legislature’s Health & Human Services Committee and will be reconsidered by the committee at its next regularly scheduled meeting on March 18th at 2:00 p.m. in the Auditorium of the William H. Rogers Legislature Building.

CONTACT for PR: KARA HAHN
Office: 631-853-6356
Cell: 516-639-3788
Email: Kara.Hahn@suffolkcountyny.gov