Trinidad State has received a donation of seven Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) from the Trinidad Ambulance District. According to EMS Chief Dan Moynihan the units are about five years old and have been refurbished with new batteries and pads.
The Ambulance District received a grant from the State of Colorado allowing the purchase of forty new AEDs. “These (the older units) were all around – the middle school, the high school, City Hall, the library, the Courthouse,” said Moynihan. Now that they’ve been refurbished they’ll be placed in buildings that never had them before. “You get a lot of visitors at the college, so having the AEDs in the buildings just makes sense.”
When sudden cardiac arrest happens an AED can save a life. They’re lightweight and easy to use. Sticky pads are attached to the chest of the person with a heart difficulty and the machine actually gives verbal instructions to the operator. Electrodes in the pads send information on a person’s heart rhythm to the AED. If an electric shock is needed the machine gives audio instructions.
Trinidad State currently has only one – at Scott Gym. “This donation of seven AEDs will allow us to place them in other high traffic areas,” said Trinidad State President Dr. Carmen Simone. “We’re grateful the Ambulance District thought of us.”
“We have five more and we’re currently looking at where we should put them – where they would give us the greatest impact,” said Moynihan. “We’re looking at places that are more out in the county, toward Weston and Stonewall, places that take us a long time to get to, that might be beneficial to the people.” Moynihan said the number of requests for the refurbished AEDs is already more than the Ambulance District has available.