A closer look at Athens Fire & Rescue’s new AEDs

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - Earlier this month, Athens Fire and Rescue got a $15,000 grant to buy new AEDs. This grant will help replace the current devices the department has that are nearing their end date.

Leaders report the grant will also help the department get additional units too.

Athens Fire and Rescue Chief Al Hogan said these units are so important, and having them could mean the difference between life and death.

“It’s something every business owner should look at,” Chief Hogan said. “It’s relatively expensive. Anybody who has a CPR certification can get additional certification in the AED during a CPR course.”

AED stands for an Automated External Defibrillator.

“The quicker the defibrillation occurs the better the odds are,” Chief Hogan said. “We don’t have to wait on the ambulance before we start that type of care.”

Chief Hogan said they actually just used an AED to save someone in a business fairly recently. He said as of now, they have AEDs on all front line apparatuses, but soon they will be able to have an additional one in the chief’s car, the battalion chief’s car, and an extra spare.

“We currently do not have one on my vehicle, the battalion chief doesn’t have one on his just our front line apparatus has one,” he said.

Copyright 2021 WAFF. All rights reserved.