July 7, 2007

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

YORK -- Up until three weeks ago, York-Poquoson sheriff's deputy Shawn Wood had never used an automated external defibrillator - a portable electronic device that shocks the heart - on an actual person.
 

He was trained to use them and carried one in his patrol car, but he never needed it.

Then, within six days last month, Wood used it twice and saved two lives.

"These things are invaluable to have in the cars - that's no question," he said. "It just makes the chances that much better that you're going to be able to get to somebody and help them out."

Wood's experiences mark some of the times this year that York-Poquoson deputies have used AEDs to save lives.

On March 29, Deputy Karen White used an AED in York-Poquoson Circuit Court when Judge Prentis Smiley collapsed on the bench from a heart attack. With help from Michael Holloway, a retired Newport News paramedic, White performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the judge and was able to get him breathing on his own before medics arrived to take him to a hospital. On June 19, Deputies Jim Charville and Wood responded to a report of a person not breathing in the 1000 block of Seaford Road. Using an automated defibrillator, the two shocked the victim, Richard Roberts, and administered CPR.

By the time that he was transported to a hospital, Roberts was breathing on his own and responding to paramedics.

Then, on June 25, deputies arrived at the Duke of York Motel in response to a 911 hang-up. Wood saw a woman on a third-floor balcony, screaming, "He's dying!" They ran upstairs to find a man on the floor, unconscious. Wood used his AED and administered CPR. The man, who had suffered a major heart attack, was breathing when medical personnel arrived moments later.

About 250,000 Americans die each year from sudden cardiac arrest, according to the American Heart Association.

Most of these are caused by abnormal heart rhythms, which make the heart beat chaotically and fail to pump blood to other vital organs. Unless the heart rhythm is restored, death follows within minutes. Defibrillation - providing an electrical shock to the heart - is the only known way to reset the heart's rhythm. Since the FDA first approved the smaller portable defibrillator in 1996, the devices have gone from use mostly by firefighters, police officers and flight attendants to being standard equipment in many businesses, fitness centers and homes. However, the devices should be used only by those trained to do so.

All uniformed patrol officers with the York-Poquoson Sheriff's Office carry AEDs in their vehicles and go through annual training on using the devices and performing CPR. The AEDs have been phased in over the past two years, thanks to grants from the Williamsburg Health Foundation and the Bureau of Justice Assistance.

Claudia Roberts, who called 911 after her husband suffered a heart attack and collapsed June 19, said deputies arrived at her home with the AED about a minute before paramedics.

"It really would have been only another minute, but that minute could have been crucial," she said. "I'm sure glad they had it."

They couple has purchased their own AED for their home, and Claudia is also taking CPR classes. "If it ever happens again, I've got it right here," she said. "I hope I'll never have to use it."

   February 6, 2006

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Historic Triangle PAD (Public Access to Defibrillation) Task Force will hold a news conference to

 announce plans to add more than 150 automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public safety and

animal control vehicles and facilities. Citizens are invited to attend the announcement and

demonstration of the defibrillators Feb. 9 at 10 a.m. at the Williamsburg Fire Department, 440 N.

Boundary St. Local fire and police officials, community leaders and health organization representatives

are expected to attend.

“In recognition of February as American Heart Month, the Historic Triangle  –  comprised of James City

County, York County and the City of Williamsburg will become one of the most heart safe regions in the

state," said James City County District Fire Chief Bob Ryalls, Chair of the Historic Triangle PAD Task

Force. “By strategically placing defibrillators throughout the community, trained citizen rescuers can

greatly increase the chance of survival for victims of sudden cardiac arrest.” A James City County

resident will tell his story at the news conference of how he was recently saved by prompt AED response.

The Historic Triangle PAD program has already placed more than 50 AEDs in all Williamsburg-James City County Schools, all schools in York County's Bruton District, park facilities, the Jamestown-Scotland Ferries, Colonial

Williamsburg Visitor Center and other places in the past two years. In addition, more than 250 local

citizens have been trained in CPR and AED use. The PAD Program is financed through a $450,000 grant

from the Williamsburg Health Foundation.

The community defibrillation program was developed to save the lives of sudden cardiac arrest victims,

a leading cause of death in the United States. In the Greater Williamsburg area, there are approximately

50 to 60 cardiac deaths each year. "For each minute that defibrillation is delayed, the victim's chance of

survival decreases by 7-to-10 percent," Ryalls said. "The goal of the Historic Triangle PAD program is to

achieve a 3 minute response time from collapse of the victim to the delivery of the first defibrillator

shock."

For more information about the defibrillator program, visit www.historictrianglepad.org.