News Release from: Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue
CHAIN-OF-SURVIVAL AT TIGARD LIBRARY SAVES A LIFE
Posted: February 22nd, 2013 2:36 PM
Just over 10 years ago, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, the City of Tigard, and the Tigard Safeway store partnered together to place an AED at the Tigard Library. TVF&R Chief Mark Stevens was part of the team who worked on the project back in 2002. Fast-forward 10+ years to January 25, 2013 when Chief Stevens responded to an emergency cardiac call at the Library, "9-1-1 was called, a citizen bystander and law enforcement officers administered hands-only CPR to the patient, a library employee retrieved the AED, the AED delivered one shock, a TVF&R crew arrived and administered advanced life support, and Metro West transported the patient to a local hospital for further treatment. This is the perfect example of the chain-of-survival." At 4:00 today at Tigard City Hall, the patient will be reunited with the library employee, Tigard police officers, and TVF&R staff who worked together to save his life.
Every year, over 300,000 people die from sudden cardiac arrest, many before ever reaching a hospital. The most common cardiac arrest can be helped by an electrical shock delivered by a defibrillator. TVF&R sends a team of paramedics, advanced life support drugs, and a medically-advanced defibrillator to every medical call. Although our paramedics arrive within minutes, sometimes even that is too late. A cardiac patient's chance of survival decreases by 10% for each minute that passes without defibrillation. That's why we promote the use of hands-only CPR and AED's.
Today, AEDs that are low-cost and easy to use are in place at hundreds of public places in TVF&R's service area. In addition, almost all law enforcement agencies within TVF&R's service area carry AEDs in their patrol cars and respond to cardiac incidents when available. There have been numerous cardiac victims saved thanks to law enforcement officers and citizens who have utilized an AED prior to TVF&R units arriving.
In January, TVF&R added another life-saving tool available to the public - a smartphone app called PulsePoint. PulsePoint notifies subscribers when there is a need for CPR in a public place and also lets them know where the nearest public access AED is located. More information on this life-saving app can be found on our website at www.tvfr.com. To ensure your public access AED is in our database, please email us at AED@tvfr.com.
Note: Citizen responders are protected under the Good Samaritan Law. A general layperson is protected under the Good Samaritan law as long as he or she has good intentions to aid the victim to the best of his or her ability during a medical emergency.
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