Hundreds of devices that can save lives by delivering electrical shocks to the heart are being installed throughout public buildings in Fairfax County.
The county plans to install 580 Automated External Defibrillators, or AEDs, throughout the school system, and 137 in other government facilities.
The $1 million project comes amid a national movement, advocated by multiple health groups, of improving public AED access and training. The kits are used to restore normal heart rhythms during events like “ventricular fibrillation,” a potentially deadly situation in which the heart begins to flutter haphazardly.
“There are people walking around now who wouldn’t be if it weren’t for an AED, that’s important,” said Jon Almquist, a specialist for the school system’s athletic training program who oversees the AED installation.
“It’s something we hope we never have to use, but if you need it, you need it very badly,” he later added.
