For victims of cardiac arrest, a minute of delay in emergency response can mean the difference between life and death.
So when Palo Alto officials unveiled on Monday their plan to install 52 automated electronic defibrillators (AEDs) in police vehicles and city facilities later this month, they stressed the life-saving potential of the portable, easy-to-use devices that restore regular heart rhythm.
At a special presentation Monday, Fire Chief Eric Nickel noted that for every minute that a shock is withheld from a victim, "the chance of survival goes down by 10 percent." He thanked the council for its decision last year to allocate $92,000 to purchase 37 defibrillators, a move that came after lobbying by local group Racing Hearts.
"Your decision will absolutely save community members' lives," Nickel said.
For the city, the new devices ended up being a better bargain than expected. Though the money was intended to pay for 37 devices, the city was able to negotiate the purchase of 52 of them. Eight of them will go inside police patrol vehicles, a decision spurred by a recommendation from police Sgt. Wayne Benitez.
"His pitch was simple: Defibrillators save lives," Police Chief Dennis Burns told the council Monday, recalling Benitez's suggestion.
Benitez on Monday offered the council a demonstration of the new tool. He opened a yellow box enclosing the defibrillator and hit a button. An electronic voice then began issuing instructions ("Remove all clothing from patient's chest."). Benitez said staff will be holding its first training session on the new devices for officers Tuesday. In the coming months, the Fire Department will expand training sessions to other employees.
Training city workers to use the defibrillators will be just the first step in Palo Alto's ambitious campaign to train an army of citizen responders. Early next year, the city will employ a program called PulsePoint, an app that notifies individuals about nearby cases of cardiac arrests and points them to the nearest defibrillator unit.
"You can run and get the defibrillator and possibly save lives," Nickel said. "We're going to engage hundreds of first responders. We're really excited."
In addition the the police vehicles, the new devices will be installed at local libraries, community centers, City Hall, athletic facilities and other prominent locations.