It’s shockingly
simple to save a life. The Emergency Services Division of Public Health –
Seattle & King County launched the Shockingly Simple Campaign to increase
adoption and registration of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in
Seattle and King County. Every year more than 300,000 Americans die from sudden
cardiac arrest (SCA) – a condition in which the heart unexpectedly stops
beating. It can happen anywhere, to anyone, at any time, even to those with
optimal heart health. And when it occurs – seconds count.
AEDs are
designed to diagnose this life-threatening abnormal heart rhythm caused by SCA
and will determine the need to deliver a shock that will restore the heart’s
normal rhythm before emergency teams arrive. In many cases, AED use is a
victim’s only chance of survival. In fact, studies have shown a 70-80% chance
of survival if an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is used within minutes
on an SCA victim.
AEDs are very
simple to use and each device provides step-by-step audio instruction to walk
you through the process.
“It’s shockingly simple to restart a heart
with an AED,” said David Fleming, PhD. and executive director of Public Health
– Seattle & King County. “We launched this campaign with the support of
business and community leaders to encourage professionals to purchase and
register AEDs, which have the potential to save lives within their
organizations and communities.”
ESC often hears about how an AED has saved a life within our service
area. Unfortunately, there are also cases
where people lose a family member or friend because an AED was not
available. This is why we have joined the
Shockingly Simple campaign and registered our AED with Public Health - Seattle
& King County to ensure 9-1-1 operators know its location and can direct
people to it in case of an emergency. We will also alert our neighbors, since
we believe having an AED is not only good business practice for us, but also
helps our local community.
If you have an AED, we encourage you to register it. If your organization does not have an AED, we
encourage you to purchase one. If you need training we can help with that too.
The life
it saves may be yours!
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