TAMPA, Fla. – Every second counts when someone suffers a heart attack or stroke and help can now be found across the City of Tampa through a simple device.
The city has expanded access to Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs).
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What we know:
The American Heart Association and Tampa General Hospital are making sure life-saving defibrillators are placed throughout the city, so they’re accessible to the public. A $70,000 grant from the American Heart Association funded 37 defibrillators.
Tampa General Hospital paid for an additional two public access AEDs. One is located at Water Works Park and the other at Palma Ceia Little League.
“We have 200 parks in the City of Tampa. We won’t be able to cover them all, but we will be able to put them in those locations that are most often utilized by our community,” said Tampa Mayor Jane Castor.
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If someone has a cardiac event and 911 is called, dispatch will send first responders and then give the person calling the code to access the AED. They will walk them through how to use the defibrillator.
The City of Tampa first started in 2005 with 13 AEDs, and now they’re up to 201, all of which are connected to the 911 system.
“The more of these defibrillators that we can get for true public access out in parks, out at recreation and sports complexes throughout the city, there’s just that much of a better chance of saving somebody who has gone through cardiac arrest,” said Larry Fassrand, the safety training specialist for the City of Tampa.
Why you should care:
The defibrillators do work. After more were installed in the Tampa Convention Center in early August, the life of a visitor was saved less than two weeks later.
Two more AEDs will eventually be installed within the next couple of weeks at the Fair Oaks Recreation Complex.
The Source: Information was gathered by FOX 13 through the City of Tampa.