Lynbrook’s Fire Department Awarded Grant for New Defibrillators

Lynbrook, NY …March 22, 2009 ... The Lynbrook Fire Department has purchased new automatic external defibrillators with a $38,000 grant that was secured by Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy.

“We thank Congresswoman McCarthy for her work to secure the funding so that the fire department is equipped with this advanced, potentially lifesaving technology,” said Lynbrook Mayor Brian Curran.  “Defibrillators have the potential to save the lives of residents who are in cardiac arrest and can be used on children or adults.”

Defibrillators work by placing two electric shock pads on the chest of a person in cardiac arrest.  The shock pads deliver a volt that shocks a stopped heart into pumping or restores an irregular heartbeat.  They are most effective when used shortly after someone suffers a heart attack, according to the American Red Cross.

Defibrillators are common in hospitals and most ambulances, but they are less common in police cars and fire trucks — which are often the first vehicles to arrive at the scene of a life-threatening accident.  According to American CPR Training, the nation’s only centrally managed CPR, First Aid, and AED safety training group, "survival rates for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests are estimated to be as low as 1-5%, but overall, when defibrillation is administered within the first few minutes of cardiac arrest, survival rates can increase up to an astonishing 74%."