AEDs Coming to All Springfield-Greene County Libraries
February 27, 2018 — More than 1.8 million people visit the 10 Springfield-Greene County Libraries each year, and soon there will be life-saving AEDs, or automated external defibrillators, to respond to their cardiac emergencies.
Beginning Tuesday, Feb. 27, AEDs will begin being installed in all 10 library branches, the Mobile Library bookmobile and the Friends of the Library book sorting building. The devices will include special equipment appropriate for safe use on children.
Having AEDs in all of the facilities will provide staff with the ability to respond to the emergency cardiac needs of our visitors of all ages, said Associate Director Jim Schmidt.
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, during which the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. The devices do not require medical training to operate. Each AED comes with easy-to-follow instructions.
The AEDs were funded through a $15,000 grant from the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation AED Fund, which provides AEDs to first responders as well as AED/CPR training in communities throughout the country. The Firehouse foundation purchased the AEDs and related equipment.
The Library is already dedicated to training Library staff to respond to cardiac arrests. It has been offering CPR/AED certifications for frontline staff and branch managers since 2013, and 70 employees so far have received AED training and are certified in CPR and First Aid through the Red Cross.
Since September 2016, the Library District has had four incident reports with a patron indicating a heart attack or cardiac arrest. Associate Director Jim Schmidt personally responded to two individuals suffering cardiac arrests who were non-responsive. Both times, an AED would have been valuable, he said. The placement of AEDs in each of the facilities will have the potential effect of saving lives, he added.
“This gift signals a significant leap in public and staff safety measures throughout the library buildings in Springfield and Greene County,” Associate Director Jim Schmidt said. “We have wanted to provide AEDs in our buildings for years, and we are grateful to the Firehouse foundation for making it possible.”
The grant also funds the AED-related accessories including pads, medical prescriptions, AED wall cabinets and Red Cross responder packs.
Heather Putnam, with AED manufacturer Zoll Medical Corp., said this is the first library district in her five-state region to receive a grant for her company’s product.