'They're for everybody': Chapel Hill installs AEDs in community parks

In an effort to increase community access to life saving safety measures, the Town of Chapel Hill is installing Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) at several community parks. 

AEDs are safety devices that stop lethal rhythms to help a normal heart rhythm resume, EMS Division Chief of Orange County Emergency Services Kim Woodward said.

In sudden cardiac arrest, she said, the two most important things that need to occur for survival are early hands-only CPR and the use of an AED.

 The newly installed AEDs at Cedar Falls, Ephesus, Homestead and Southern Community parks have instructions and audible prompts for community members to use in emergencies, according to a press release from the Town. 

Dr. Jessica Zègre-Hemsey is an associate professor in the School of Nursing at UNC, as well as an adjunct professor in the School of Medicine and the Department of Emergency Medicine. She researches emergency cardiac care.

She said about a year and a half ago, two people in a Chapel Hill adult soccer league went into cardiac arrest within six months of each other. Zègre-Hemsey’s husband, a member of the soccer league, was present for one of the instances. 

While both individuals were okay, teammates couldn't access an AED during either of the cardiac arrests. The closest AED was behind locked doors at the park, Zègre-Hemsey said. 

“AEDs should be accessible. They should be outside. They should be in places where there’s a lot of people that can get to them. They shouldn’t be locked behind a locked door,” Woodward said.

After these instances, Zègre-Hemsey said she and her husband reached out to the Town to emphasize the importance of public access AEDs 

“I think implementing this sort of technology into the community will augment an already well-established EMS," Zègre-Hemsey said.And so while a victim is waiting for the ambulance to arrive, bystanders around the victim can make a very significant impact by starting CPR right away and then using the AED."

Following Zègre-Hemsey's comment and further input from the community, the Parks and Recreation Department explored AED options, the department's director, Atuya Cornwell, said.

AEDs are user friendly, Zègre-Hemsey said. 

“The device itself is designed to start talking to you, it’ll actually give you a recommendation,” Woodward said. “And as a fail safe, whoever’s accessing the device, they can also call 911, and the telecommunicator on the other line can also give directions on device usage.”

There are also written instructions and pictures on the pads. 

In the event of cardiac arrest, the individual using the AED is encouraged to do the best they possibly can, Woodward said. She said that individuals are protected under the North Carolina's Good Samaritan Law, so if someone is using the device to help and the outcome is poor, they are immune from civil liability.

Communities with high hands-on CPR rates and AEDs in the public often have cardiac arrest survival rates up in the 50th percentile range, Woodward said. However, in North Carolina, the survival rate of a sudden cardiac arrest is less than 10 percent, with Orange County's rate sitting around 14 percent, she said. 

In Orange County, AEDs are also in every law enforcement vehicle, Woodward said, which has led to AEDs being placed on individuals experiencing cardiac arrest about 40 percent of the time before EMS arrives.

“Survival is contingent on very quick intervention," Zègre-Hemsey said.

Because most cardiac arrests occur in the home, having AEDs in accessible places close to home can significantly increase survivability, Woodward said. 

“You look at [an AED] and you think, ‘Oh, I have never needed that. I won't need it. That's not for me.’ And we really want people to go up to them and read them and check them out, because they're for everybody," the Town's Media Relations Manager Alex Carrasquillo said. 

Cornwell said while the hope is no one will need an AED, people can now enjoy the parks and have this extra safety measure in place.

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Correction: A previous version of this article stated Zègre-Hemsey's husband was present for both instances people went into cardiac arrest. He was only present for one instance.