In early late May 2021, Public Health Bill SB-1083, written by Senator Will Haskell and State Representative Aimee Berger-Girvalo, passed the Senate. The bill requires health clubs and athletic facilities to maintain an (AED) and a trained staff person on site.
Courageously advocating for the bill was Ridgefield resident Suzanne Brennan who lost her husband, the father to three children when he waited for EMS at a local health club.
Suzanne is thrilled that Ridgefield is now home to an AED Map, indicating the various venues where the lifesaving device can be located.
The Map is the handiwork of a Ridgefield High School student. Brennan explains, “I feel very fortunate to have connected with the work of Ridgefield High School student, Cora Meres. Cora has independently researched and compiled an AED map for Ridgefield.”
Our Town’s AED Map comes just in time for CPR/AED Awareness Week which is June 1 – 7. [Learn more at CPR & AED Awareness Week | American Heart Association CPR & First Aid]
Did you know? The chance of survival from a sudden cardiac event drops 7-10% for every minute that passes without immediate AED/CPR intervention. On average it takes 4-10 minutes for EMS to respond to a person in distress leaving very little chance of survival.
Brennan says, “Cora Mere’s AED project highlights the lifesaving importance of AEDs and how valuable accessibility is in multiple locations. I encourage each one of us as community leaders to promote and applaud Cora’s work as a means of inspiring all business neighbors and organizations to maintain an AED device at their respective sites.”
View the map here.