Childersburg Fire Department installing defibrillators around the city

CHILDERSBURG, Ala. (WBRC) - First responders in Childersburg say timing is everything when it comes to emergencies like cardiac arrest. That’s why they’re installing defibrillators in several locations throughout the city.

The fire department is training staff members on how to use Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) and how to perform CPR.

According to the American Heart Association, cardiac arrest happens fast and without warning. The heart malfunctions and suddenly stops beating.

Yancey Brown works as an EMT with Childersburg Fire Department, and he says a life-saving key is CPR and using AEDs. They are medical devices that analyze the heart’s rhythm and if required, it will send an electric shock to get the heart going again.

“There are a thousand out-of-hospital cardiac arrests a day,” says Brown. “And the key to survival in those is getting CPR initiated very quickly. And with CPR, restoring heart rate is important, but also getting that heart rate shocked if it enters a shockable rhythm, it’s super important to the chain of survival.”

If you’d like training with the device or CPR classes, you can contact Childersburg Fire at 256-378-7062.

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