Kimball Lions have been talking and planning about having an AED unit with a smart cabinet available to the public in -Kimball for more than a year.
Brenda Lodermeier and Joel Vogel from Advocates for Health Lifesaving Solutions have been walking us through the process. Advocates for Health was started by Joel Vogel of St. Joseph and a couple of friends after Vogel survived a heart attack. As he considered his survival, Vogel began researching cardiac issues and response. Most emergency response times average 8-10 -minutes, a period in which many people with cardiac problems die.
These smart cabinets are available in many cities now, and can be an important role in cardiac survival. Most AEDs are locked inside facilities here in town; these places have no 24-hour/7-day access.
We now have an AED at the Willow Creek Park Shelter outside the building, in the north corner by the bathrooms. This unit will always be available, day or night. The AED cabinet is smart monitored, an outdoor Automated External Defibrillator is available always. The smart units monitor the temperature changes and keeps the defibrillator warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The smart unit tracks the functionality of the AED components, and sends an alert when attention is needed via SIM cell network. It alerts an emergency call center, triggers a siren, sends text messages, takes photos, has a GPS tracker, and lets us know when batteries, pads or material replacement is needed.
The Lions are hoping to sponsor a training session for the public on how to use the AED.
Joel Vogel also told us about an app “Rescue Me CPR!” (It is red with a white heart in the middle and CPR in the middle of the heart). Check it out; you may need to save a life some day, and it goes step-by-step with illustrations and audio. The other app Joel mentioned is PulsePoint which lists locations where you can find an AED.
The Kimball Lions will do some fundraisers this summer to help pay for a second AED cabinet to be located on the north side of the tracks. Our hamburger stand proceeds from June 28, as well as our Kimball Days 5K proceeds will go toward the AED for the north side of the tracks.
Really, Kimball community, your support of our events makes these kinds of things happen for the community. We sincerely thank you again for your continued support for all our events throughout the year.
Submitted by Mary Knaus