V.I. Fire Services got 21 costly new batteries Friday for its portable battery-operated automated external defibrillators, thanks to a $2,100 donation from Gov. Juan F. Luis Hospital.
St. Croix Fire Chief Angel Torres and Deputy Chief Corey Kent received the batteries at a ceremony at the hospital Friday morning, along with Cher Will, who heads the St. Croix foundation project to raise money and buy the $1,600 lifesaving devices for locations all over the island.
"I can’t stop thanking you," Torres said to Will. All the firefighters are trained in their use, and every fire station and engine has one now, he said.
The devices are real lifesavers, he said.
"We have successfully used this in the field to save lives," Torres said.
"We don’t want to use them often, but it is really good to have them when we need them," Kent added.
Fire Services received 13 defibrillators through Will in 2009. Now those devices are about four years old, and the batteries last around five years, Will said. "They are getting ready to go and start blinking any day now," Will said. But with the new batteries, Fire Services should be set for another half a decade.
Dr. Michael Potts chief of cardiology at Gov. Juan F. Luis Hospital, emphasized that the clock starts ticking when someone has a heart attack, and unless a defibrillator is used within 10 minutes,
"The frightening story is if you go 10 minutes or more with CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and no defibrillator, your odds of survival are minimal, but with one, the rate can potentially be as high as 90 percent, so it is a huge impact at a relatively small cost," Potts said.
"We are also encouraging private businesses to have these devices at their facilities," he said. "You don’t need to worry about using it. By law, there is no liability for a private individual using this device," Potts said, referring to a V.I. good samaritan law crafted a few years ago specifically to allow people to use AEDs without fear of being sued.
Will emphasized that the machines are exceedingly safe – especially compared to having a heart attack and NOT using one. They are also very easy to use, she said. "Just turn it on and it tells you what to do," she said. "And it will not work, unless it recommends a shock. You can’t hurt anyone with it unless you bang them in the head with it," Will said.
Asked how the hospital could afford the donation, when it is itself strapped for cash, Potts said they could "not afford not to give this."
"It’s right along the mission of the cardiac center," he said. The more first responders and others have AEDs on hand, the more likely it is that a person suffering a heart attack will be treated with one right away, and the better off patients will be, he said.
"This will save lives," he said.
Meanwhile, the AED Fund still needs money to place more AEDs in critical locations, Will said.
"The schools still need them and the V.I. Police Department has asked for more," she said. "They also want oxygen, and need some AEDs in the cars too.” To donate to the AED fund and maybe save a life, email aedfund@gmail.com or call Will at (340) 773-9898.
