If a county resident finds themselves, a loved one or a friend suffering a heart-related issue, help now is more accessible.

With a recent presentation of six automated external defibrillators, all police and fire departments in Jackson County are equipped with at least one new unit to use if they are first on the scene.

In a span of about eight weeks, eight businesses, groups and individuals stepped forward to provide the nearly $8,000 needed to purchase the AEDs. Three went to Seymour Fire Department, while Carr, Pershing and Hamilton township volunteer fire departments each received one.

That’s money that didn’t have to come out of the departments’ budgets.

“It’s fantastic,” Seymour Fire Chief Brad Lucas said. “The great thing about this is I didn’t have to use money out of my budget, so that frees up money to buy other equipment and department needs.”

Carr Township Chief Joe Barnes said it’s great for volunteer fire departments because they have limited budgets.

“This type of thing is not a line-item budget we can get, so without help from the community members and community organizations, it might not get purchased,” he said. “We’ve got to keep the lights on, put fuel in trucks or buy a new piece of equipment.”

Hamilton Township Captain Cody Hercamp said the donation allows the department to put its money toward training and equipment.

“We’re just thrilled to have them because it gives us, No. 1, a peace of mind that can help the public and No. 2, the peace of mind for the firefighters because a heart attack is the leading cause of death of firefighters in the line of duty,” he said.

Pershing Township Chief Ben Rudolph came up with one word to describe his thoughts about the donation: Amazing.

Donors this year were Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie 655, Gayle Skaggs, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Indiana Realty, Brownstown Exchange Club, Seymour Jaycees, Jackson Masonic Lodge 146, Sertoma Club of Jackson County and Burnside Insurance.

“You can’t thank all of the donors enough,” Rudolph said. “When you work with such limited budgets anyway, it really helps to have people step up in the community to provide something for us to use as volunteers to help out in our community.”

An AED is a portable device that checks the heart rhythm and can send an electric shock to the heart to try to restore a normal rhythm. AEDs are used to treat sudden cardiac arrest, where the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating.

Each kit includes a fully functional AED, a set of pediatric pads, a carrying case and an accessory kit that includes a CPR mask and scissors. Once the AED is opened, an automated voice gives step-by-step instructions.

Four years ago, the Seymour Jaycees started donating money to supply police and fire departments with AEDs. Along the way, other businesses, groups and individuals have provided funds toward the project.

The first year, 17 units were given to the Seymour Police Department. The second year, seven were given to the Brownstown police and fire departments. And this past year, seven were given to Crothersville-Vernon, Grassy Fork, Redding, Jackson-Washington and Owen-Salt Creek township volunteer fire departments; Jackson County Sheriff’s Department; and Medora Police Department.

Brett Hays with the Seymour Jaycees said the group helps several local organizations and individuals each year with proceeds raised from the Fear Fair haunted attraction in Seymour. When the AED project came up four years ago, the group decided to help out.

“This is sort of the finalization of a long-term goal, which is getting these everywhere,” Hays said of the AEDs. “It’s a great program, I believe in it and I’m happy to reach this goal.”

Money raised in the future will help with costs associated with maintenance and replacement of units, he said.

“We don’t have any plans for this not to be our ongoing charity,” Hays said. “I’m sure there will continue to be needs.”

Chris Snodgrass of LifeLink AED Specialists has been involved with the project from the start. He was involved with servicing AEDs at the Seymour Police Department when the Jaycees made its first donation to purchase AEDs. His company is an authorized dealer for Cardiac Science brand AEDs.

Snodgrass said he has been fortunate to work with Hays and J.L. McElfresh on the project. McElfresh works full time with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department and serves as a reserve officer with the Brownstown Police Department and a captain with the Brownstown Volunteer Fire Department.

“With our final little draw here, at least we know that everybody’s at least got one working AED to take care of the community,” Snodgrass said. “The nice thing is there are still a few departments that could use one or two more, but that will come in the future. We’re not going to give up on continuing our efforts. We’ll just see where it goes from here.”

Snodgrass said Cardiac Science AEDs have a seven-year warranty, but he has seen them last up to 10 years.

Snodgrass said AEDs can help save the lives of people of all ages. It’s one of his passions because he had to retire from the Seymour Fire Department after suffering from a heart arrhythmia and had to have an internal defibrillator.

He said it’s a state law for health and fitness clubs to have an AED, and they are showing up in schools, businesses, industries and other places.

“It’s not going to be long until everyone’s going to have to have them,” he said. “You’re going to see them in grocery stores. You’re going to see them in department stores. You’re going to see them everywhere you go because the facts are they are saving lives.”

The PulsePoint Foundation has created the free PulsePoint Respond mobile app that maps out locations of AEDs across the country, Snodgrass said.

“If you know where one is and you are CPR trained and a call comes in for someone down, then you’re going to get an alert if you’re close to it,” he said. “They are saving a ton of lives with it.”

Seymour Fire Department is equipped with four AEDs. Lucas said the four frontline engines have one along with a medical bag.

Lucas said he remembers one time when firefighters at Station 3 were the first on the scene of a person having a heart attack and used an AED to save the person’s life.

“They are so simple to use,” he said. “They’ve made them so easy that they are just great.”

Barnes said his department uses an AED three or four times a year and has access to two units — one on each side of the railroad tracks that separate the north and south parts of Medora.

He said the units are especially important since Carr Township is in the southeastern corner of the county and 15 minutes away from the nearest ambulance station.

“It’s very crucial for us to get these AEDs on scene quick because every minute counts in a (heart-related) situation,” Barnes said. “You don’t realize how crucial this type of equipment is until you have to use it.”

Having access to an AED was particularly important to Hercamp when his grandfather went into sudden cardiac arrest.

Assistant Fire Chief Scott Thompson and Jackson County Sheriff’s Department Reserve Officer Brad Barker arrived on scene shortly before Hercamp, and they used an AED to save his grandfather’s life.

“We’re trained that it’s not our emergency, we’re there to help,” Hercamp said. “If it’s someone you know or a family member, it takes on a whole new meaning, and it’s personal.”

Rudolph also understands the importance of AEDs since his department covers a rural township in the northern part of the county.

“We’ve used them at least a dozen times,” he said. “We’re really rural, so sometimes, response time can be hindered. But as long as you get early response, you get pretty good results.”

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Why you need an automated external defibrillator

Sudden cardiac arrest will claim about 365,000 lives in North America this year. It is the leading cause of death in North America, striking about 1,000 people every day.

Thirteen percent of all workplace fatalities result from sudden cardiac arrest.

The only effective treatment for sudden cardiac arrest is a shock from a defibrillator, administered as soon as possible.

When a shock is delivered within one minute, survival rates can increase from 5 percent (waiting for emergency medical personnel to arrive) to as much as 86 percent in some cases.

The American Heart Association recommends defibrillation for sudden cardiac arrest victims within three to five minutes of collapse. EMS response time can average eight to 12 minutes.

Defibrillators improve survival rates by up to 12 times. Studies with immediate defibrillation have shown up to 60 percent survival one year after sudden cardiac arrest.

Source: Cardiac Science

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