Harvey L. Hall presents an AED to Cari Schnarrenberger, Acting VP of the Rosamond Senior Center.  He is joined by paramedics and EMTs serving from Hall Ambulance’s Rosamond Post.

On October 2, 2013, Hall Ambulance Service donated not one, but two Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) to senior centers located in the East Kern communities of Rosamond and Tehachapi.  Hall Ambulance Founder & President Harvey L. Hall personally traveled to each community to make the presentations.

The donations are part of Hall Ambulance’s community outreach program which has previously donated AEDs to senior centers in Boron, California City and Mojave. Hall Ambulance began providing service to Rosamond in January 1994, and this week, celebrates 34 years of service to the city of Tehachapi.

Hall Ambulance CPR Instructor Dave Taylor, EMT, provided an orientation to each group, which will be followed up by a complete AED training course in the near future.

Harvey L. Hall, presents an AED to representatives from the Tehachapi Senior Center.  He is joined by paramedics and EMTs serving from Hall Ambulance’s Tehachapi Post.

The AEDs donated are Phillips Heartstart Onsite Defibrillators, with a retail value of $1,354.00, each.

The availability and placement of an AED in a public place such as a senior center can make a tremendous difference for someone experiencing sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), which is an electrical malfunction of the heart which disrupts its normal rhythm.  A sudden cardiac arrest victim requires defibrillation, by a medical professional such as a paramedic or a trained layperson using an AED, to stop ventricular fibrillation.  In such cases, time is of the essence for survivability.  For every minute that passes without a shock to the heart, an SCA victim’s chance of survival decreases by 7-10%.  After 10 minutes, very few victims survive.

One of the leading causes of death in the United States, SCA strikes more than 300,000 victims each year.   The best chance for a positive outcome is when the Chain of Survival is followed within the first few minutes of SCA onset.

The Chain of Survival consists of four steps:

• Early Access to Emergency Care must be provided by calling 911.
• Early CPR should be started and maintained until emergency medical services (EMS) arrive.
• Early Defibrillation is the only thing that can re-start the heart function of a person with ventricular fibrillation (VF).  If an automated external defibrillator is available, a trained operator should administer defibrillation as quickly as possible until ambulance paramedics arrive.
• Early Advanced Care, the final link, includes advanced life support care administered by ambulance paramedics and the expedient transport of the patient in a state-of-the-art ALS ambulance to the closest ER.  Ambulance paramedics monitor the patient closely on the way to the hospital, where more definitive diagnostic evaluation can occur.

In certain environments, where the Chain is strong and when defibrillation occurs within the first few minutes of cardiac arrest, survival rates can approach 80% to 100%.