Garwood Installs Outdoor AED
The Borough of Garwood unveiled its first outdoor, weatherproof, automated external defibrillator (AED) on September 8th at the Garwood Sports and Recreation Complex.
While the population of Garwood is only about 5,000 people, resident Jill A. Pall understood the importance of having these devices in public spaces having died from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) on June 25, 2021 at Echo Lake Park in Union County, NJ. “Unfortunately, while emphasis is often placed on having an AED available inside facilities or during organized sporting events and practices, sudden cardiac arrests frequently happen outside in parks and recreation areas,” noted Pall.
When Jennifer Blumenstock was sworn in as Garwood’s Mayor in January, Pall reached out to discuss the importance of having AEDs available in outdoor spaces. Mayor Blumenstock was familiar with Pall’s story and knew that a combination of a bystander immediately administering CPR coupled with a Union County Police Officer using a bag valve mask to deliver positive pressure ventilation for nearly fifteen minutes until paramedics arrived with an AED ultimately saved her life, though it was not known if she would survive for nearly four days.
Had there been an AED in the park, patrons would have had access to an easy-to-use, yet sophisticated medical device that could analyze Pall’s heart rhythm and deliver an electrical shock, or defibrillation, to help her heart re-establish an effective rhythm, instead of waiting for the paramedics.
Pall shared an article with Mayor Blumenstock and the now retired Garwood Police Chief about a community with an outdoor AED that ultimately saved a life in a public recreation space along with information about the company, and details of the device’s keypad that opens with a code provided by 9-1-1 to keep the AED safe. This was immediately discussed with Sergeant John Wright who looked into grant funding to purchase one of the devices and the rest is history.
“While making sure our parks have these outdoor AEDs is seemingly such a small thing our Borough can do, it’s something that in a moment’s notice can make the biggest impact in someone’s life. When seconds count, quick availability of this device truly makes the difference between life and death,” said Mayor Blumenstock.
The hope is that nobody will ever have to use this AED but knowing it is there means everything to residents in this small town with a big heart.
About Sudden Cardiac Arrest
Cardiac arrest is not a heart attack but rather an electrical heart issue with an 8% survival rate. Administering CPR immediately can triple that statistic. Heart attacks are a circulation issue, have an 85% survival rate, and do not require CPR, though some heart attacks can cause cardiac arrest.
About Jill A. Pall
On Friday, June 25, 2021, Jill A. Pall died from sudden cardiac arrest at Echo Lake Park in Union County, NJ. A bystander performed immediate CPR until paramedics arrived onsite with an AED. Pall has made it her mission to promote the importance of learning CPR. Additionally, her top priority is working with local, county, and state officials to make outdoor, weatherproof AEDs available in as many public recreation spaces as possible, even though she now has an AED implanted inside her body.
Courtesy photo
