2nd Outdoor AED installed in Garwood
The Aliver Foundation
In conjunction with CPR & AED Awareness Week, The Aliver Foundation held a family friendly community event with The Borough of Garwood to not only unveil the town’s second all weather, climate controlled, tamper proof outdoor automated external defibrillator (AED) enclosure and device but to bring together local first responders from the Garwood First Aid Squad, Garwood Fire Department, Garwood Police Department, and residents.
The evening celebrated Garwood’s commitment to helping hearts and saving lives by recognizing the importance of having AEDs accessible to the public 24/7/365. “We are extremely proud of this community’s first responders and really wanted to showcase them, while also educating residents on the importance of calling 9-1-1 who will walk you through an emergency situation, showing them how easy it is to do CPR compressions, and letting them know that there’s nothing to learn when it comes to using an AED – you literally just unzip a zipper, press a button, and follow voice prompts,” Jill A. Pall, The Aliver Foundation.
The Garwood First Aid Squad led a short demonstration for attendees, including a fantastic group of middle school students. One woman noted that prior to this evening, she wasn’t confident she would be able to help in an emergency situation, but now she is.
The Aliver Foundation’s founder, Garwood resident Jill A. Pall, had sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) nearly three years ago at Union County’s Echo Lake Park. While bystander Ailene Connors-Albarron started CPR immediately, there was no AED to be found (unfortunately, there still isn’t), and it took paramedics over 10 minutes to arrive. Jill approached Garwood’s newly elected mayor, Jennifer Blumenstock, in January 2023 to discuss installing a specific all weather, climate controlled, tamper proof AED enclosure model in the community’s public recreation spaces, after seeing an article about a life that was saved because of one. The mayor spoke with the Garwood Police Department who looked into grant funding to purchase the two of these enclosures, and the rest is history.
The hope is that nobody will ever have to use these AEDs but knowing they are there, if needed, means everything.
Courtesy photos
