VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Public Protection Director Mark Swanson with Volusia County demonstrated on Friday how to use an AED, also known as an Automated External Defibrillator.
The machine is set to help those who go into sudden cardiac arrest.
“You know AEDs are important to have in the community if somebody goes into cardiac arrest, then time is (of the) essence. Time is muscle,” Swanson explained.
Swanson said with the help of grants, the county was able to get 13 new AEDs, which were given to nonprofits like the Boys and Girls Clubs and Daytona Beach Moose Lodge 1263.
The cost of an AED ranges from $1,300 to $1,700.
“I’ve seen firsthand the difference that an AED makes in somebody’s life,” Charlie Jaskiewicz with the Daytona Beach Moose Lodge said.
Retired firefighter and paramedic Charlie Jaskiewicz brought members of the Moose Lodge to a training and said AEDs determine whether or not the victim will survive.
“When a person goes into sudden cardiac arrest, for every minute that we don’t revive them, their chances of surviving reduce by 7-10%. So, by the time even the closest firetruck gets there, the AED can take a bad situation and make it survivable and have positive outcomes,” Jaskiewicz explained.
Swanson said the county is going to continue working to get more grants in order to give out more AED machines throughout the community.
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