Fire chief spreading the word about defibrillators

Derry – Fire Chief George Klauber says he wants more defibrillators and people trained to use them to save people when they're suffering cardiac arrest.

Klauber said yesterday the fire department will soon begin a program, in conjunction with the American Heart Association, aimed at increasing people's life-saving abilities. He said he wants places that see large groups of people -- such as churches, large businesses and other gathering places -- to have automated external defibrillators.

"Every second counts, and having somebody trained and knowing how to use an AED would be a great thing to do," he said.

The automated defibrillators have been more popular and easier to use over the years. Lay people can be trained to use them in case of an emergency in four hours, Klauber said. The chief said officials will hold training sessions for CPR and defibrillator use as part of the program.

The town recently installed one in the Municipal Center's meeting room, where the town council and other boards gather. Local police officers are trained to use them and keep one in their cruisers, the chief said.

Mary Ellen Hannon, superintendent of the Derry Cooperative School District, said the town's public schools do not have defibrillators, but officials have discussed getting them. There are no plans to purchase them right now, she said, but it could happen in the future.

Klauber said the fire department will soon begin polling the area to figure out how many places have defibrillators. He said it's tough to estimate how many of them there are in the community.

"I think there may be more in the community than we're aware of," he said.

Defibrillators work to reestablish a heart beat through electric shock when someone goes into cardiac arrest. Klauber said the moments after cardiac arrest are crucial, and a defibrillator can mean life or death in the time before emergency responders arrive.

When the heart stops pumping, oxygen is cut off from the brain. Without quick treatment, Klauber said, the sufferer can experience brain and organ damage.

As their accessibility has increased, portable defibrillators have also dropped dramatically in price, with some going for about $1,200, Klauber said. They're meant to treat cardiac arrest and designed not to shock victims who still have a heart rhythm going, he said.

Klauber said anyone interested in CPR and defibrillator training can contact the fire department at 432-6121.