CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – More than 500 Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) are being installed in public spaces throughout Clay County on Friday.
The devices can boost the chance of cardiac arrest survival to nearly 90% if used in the vital first minute after someone collapses.
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That number drops by 10% every minute that follows.
The AED kits have a defibrillator inside along with easy-to-read instructions.
Clay County firefighters prepared the kits that will be installed throughout the county outside government buildings, churches, parks and senior centers.
Another 75 will be added to sheriff’s office and county vehicles.
The AEDs can give verbal commands and can do so in different languages.
If used correctly, they can give an electric shock to help restart the heart’s normal rhythm.
According to a post on the Clay County government’s website, more than 300 people in the county go into sudden cardiac arrest and need help immediately every year.
Along with a defibrillator, firefighters also stock doses of Narcan, an overdose treatment, in the kits.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 40% of overdoses lead to deaths each year, and Narcan can deliver lifesaving care in seconds.
The county bought the AEDs with federal funding from the National Opioids Settlement. Beyond the hundreds being installed Friday, Clay County leaders are planning to hold training sessions on how to use the AEDs and Narcan in the future. Dates for the training have not been announced yet.
Eventually, all of the AEDs installed Friday are going to be added to an app called Pulse Point that will allow people to locate where the closest AED is at any moment. Click here for links to download the app.