The City of Tampa has expanded its program to provide Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) throughout the city, thanks to grants from the American Heart Association and Tampa General Hospital. A total of 39 new AEDs have been acquired and are being installed in various locations.
One of the newly placed AEDs was used to save a visitor’s life at the Tampa Convention Center on August 26, less than two weeks after its installation. Previously, the Convention Center had seven AEDs, but none were located on the registration floor where the incident occurred.
“Knowing that every minute of non-assistance after a cardiac event decreases the chance of survival by 10%, the new defibrillator played the key role in the life-saving outcome,” said Mayor Jane Castor. “We cannot thank the American Heart Association enough for its major contribution to our efforts to be prepared to save lives.”
The city’s initiative began in 2005 with 13 AED units under Safety Training Specialist Larry Frassrand and has now grown to 201 devices, all linked to Tampa’s 911 system.
Thirty-seven of the new defibrillators were funded by a $70,000 grant from the American Heart Association. Tampa General Hospital contributed funds for two additional public access AEDs located at Water Works Park and Palma Ceia Little League. In emergencies, callers can receive an access code for these devices from a 911 operator.
“This life-saving device is one of 10 AEDs generously supported by Tampa General Hospital, helping strengthen the Chain of Survival across our community,” said Courtney Burt, Vice President at the American Heart Association. “Public-access AEDs play a critical role in improving survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. When an AED is used alongside high-quality CPR, a person’s chance of survival can increase dramatically, to as high as 50–70% in some cases.”
Of the newly purchased AEDs, 37 have already been installed; two more will be placed soon at Fair Oaks Recreation Complex.
Tampa’s Parks & Recreation Department requires all staff who interact with the public to be certified in CPR and AED use. The department received 25 of the new defibrillators, while six other departments also received units. Some of these are portable for use during events.
