Susquehanna County Commissioners Elizabeth Arnold, Alan Hall, and Judy Herschel with Chief Clerk Rebekah Hubbard (standing in back) spearheaded an effort to provide 13 AED units to be installed in ballfields and parks around the county. Municipal leaders picked up the units and storage cabinets on Monday, Oct. 30, at the county office building in Montrose. IMAGE/SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY
The Susquehanna County Commissioners provided 13 automated external defibrillator (AED) units to be installed at municipal parks around the county. The units were distributed by Commissioners Elizabeth Arnold, Alan Hall and Judy Herschel to municipal leaders on Monday, Oct. 30, in the conference room of the county office building in Montrose.
“We’re glad to help,” said Commissioner Alan Hall to those on hand to pick up the units and storage cabinets. “We hope you never have to use them.”
An AED is a medical device that analyzes the heart rhythm and delivers an electric shock to people experiencing ventricular fibrillation that brings the heart back into a normal rhythm.
Susquehanna County Chief Clerk Rebekah Hubbard demonstrated some of the ZOLL AED Plus features, which include step-by-step instructions on how to perform CPR. She also noted that the unit will not issue a shock if the person experiencing a medical incident does not need one. The batteries are expected to last more than three years and an indicator light on the cabinet will highlight when they need to be changed. Although the units can withstand harsh cold and high temperatures, Hubbard advised that the cabinets should be installed under some sort of cover, such as a pavilion.
Parks and ballfields receiving the units included the following:
Ballfields: Auburn, Springville, Lawton, Brooklyn
Municipal Parks: Montrose, Liberty, Hallstead, Great Bend, Prospect/Oakland; Ira Reynolds (Susquehanna); Clifford; New Milford; and the Forest City Police.
Earlier this year, the Susquehanna County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) worked to remove hazardous firefighting Aqueous Film-Forming Foam, or AFFF, which contains toxic chemicals, called PFAS. The $120,000 project replaced the foam used by emergency responders with an environmentally friendly product. Coterra Energy stepped up to aid in the disposal project, offering a $25,000 donation to the LEPC which offset cost.
Hall said the energy company’s donation enabled the county to move forward with the AED units at no cost to county taxpayers.
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