A Simple Machine Could Save Your Life

Jim King had a heart attack five years ago.  He says, "I played the first half of the ball game, played pretty well for me, walked over, got a drink at the drinking fountain, stepped back on to the court and just collapsed."

More than a million people in the U.S. suffer heart attacks each year, but Jim was one of the lucky ones, thanks to the knowledge of his teammates... and a little machine known as an Automated External Defibrillator, orA.E.D., which sent a shock to his heart and started it pumping again.

Maybe you've seen one of these on the walls at your work place... but it's quite possible you haven't. ... the american heart association says there are not nearly enough a.e.d's in public places.

Bob Elling, an HVCC Paramedic Instructor, says, "Frankly, where we need to be with this is an A.E.D. needs to be everywhere you see a fire extinguisher in public buildings, so that everyone knows where they are."

 Here at CBS6 we do have an A.E.D. behind the front desk, but the problem is, not many people know how to use it... a common occurence in many work places.

The A.E.D. talks you through the process, but you should take a coures through the heart association to learn both CPR and proper A.E.D. operation. The knowledge you receive from a few hours in class could literally mean the difference between life and death if someone around you suffers a heart attack.

 Elling admits, "It's hard for me to remember any cases where we were able to save somebody where the family members just stood there with their hands in their pockets."

But swift action and an A.E.D. on hand mean a much greater chance of a happy ending, like Jim's.