Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs)

Councilmember Madaffer Supports
Installation of AEDs in All New Buildings

In October 1999, a friend of mine participated in a 10K race and collapsed from sudden cardiac arrest. Two respiratory clinicians immediately initiated CPR before transporting him to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. Ron McElliott was 56 years old. Sadly, if an automated external defibrillator or AED had been available, most likely Ron would be alive today.
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Honoring Bobbi Cohen

We have such wonderful people in District 7. I want to tell you about the generosity of a resident of the Navajo area. Her name is Bobbi Cohen. Through our San Diego Project Heart Beat, Bobbie recently donated an automated external defibrillator unit (AED) to the Lake Murray Tennis Club. The contribution was made in memory of her husband who recently passed away from a heart attack. He was an avid sports fan and she wanted to donate the AED to a local sports-related organization. She knew that location would be ideal since it would serve tennis players as well as joggers, walkers, ball players and visitors to the to the north end Lake Murray. The south end of Lake Murray near the boat rentals already has an AED and this additional unit will be available to the other side of Lake Murray near the new Comfort Station. When every minute counts in order to save the life of someone undergoing sudden cardiac arrest, it is important that an AED be available and close by. So a big thank you Bobbi Cohen on behalf of everyone who enjoys Lake Murray.

My goal is to make AEDs as widely available as fire extinguishers in order to save lives. AEDs or automatic external defibrillators are small, portable devices that help restore the heartbeat of someone undergoing sudden cardiac arrest. They are simple to operate and designed for the public to use. Without an AED, a person has a 5 percent survival rate. With an AED, their survival rate skyrockets to 90 percent.

San Diego Project Heart Beat shares the same goal and that is why I'm a strong supporter. San Diego Project Heart Beat is a local success story. It's a partnership of the San Diego Medical Services Enterprise, LCC, the City of San Diego, the County of San Diego, Cardiac Science, Inc., the American Heart Association and IAFF Local 145. San Diego Project Heart Beat hoped to place 300 AEDs and, instead, has placed an impressive 670 AEDs in the first 18 months of the program's existence. I'm so proud of all that they have accomplished.

Recognizing the need for legislation that would protect the liability of people who use an AED in good faith, I helped guide the City of San Diego's efforts to sponsor state legislation. Assemblymember Juan Vargas authored AB 2041 which had strong bipartisan support. Governor Gray Davis signed AB 2041 into law and it took affect January 1, 2003.

Knowing that AEDs save lives, I allocated funds in 2001 to purchase forty AEDs. They are installed in City facilities including life guard stations, pools, parks, recreation centers and libraries. For more information about AEDs or to purchase an AED through San Diego Project Heart Beat, please contact Paramedic Maureen O'Connor with San Diego Fire & Rescue at (619) 243-0911 or email to moconnor@sandiego.gov.

San Diego's Success Story

San Diego Project Heartbeat, the region's AED public access program, has exceeded all expectations. Since the program began, 48 lives have been saved and 4000 units have been placed throughout the region. Project Heart Beat also manages medical oversight of the automatic external defibrillators for hundreds of agencies. For more information about Project Heart Beat, locations of AEDs, or details of the lives saved by the program, go to www.sdprojectheartbeat.com.

San Diego Project Heartbeat Honored