On-Site Automatic External Defibrillators Help to Save Lives

Employees, clients and visitors of all companies at Ashforth’s owned/managed buildings will have a better chance of surviving cardiac arrest in the workplace because of the Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) available on site. Security personnel and Ashforth staff have been trained to respond to a cardiac emergency and to use the AED equipment, and administer CPR until emergency medical service professionals arrive at the scene.

The AEDs, which are Powerheart® AED’s, are maintained in wall-mounted cabinets located in the building and connected to a central station security monitoring system. In the event of an emergency, immediately contact anyone from the Ashforth management team. When the cabinet is opened, a 9-1-1- call will be automatically dispatched to local emergency services. Click here for AED location map.

The American Heart Association reports, every day in the United States 600 adults are victims of sudden cardiac arrest in the workplace. Cardiac arrest is a condition in which abnormal heart rhythms called arrhythmias cause the heart's electrical impulses to suddenly become chaotic. The heart stops abruptly when this happens and the victim collapses and quickly loses consciousness. A victim's chance of survival is reduced by 10% for each minute after the onset of cardiac arrest. Defibrillation is the only known treatment to restore normal heart rhythm. Lives may be saved with rapid deployment of an AED.

“AEDs are safe and easy to use, making it possible for non-medical personnel to be trained to provide rapid defibrillation. AED programs are growing around the country as a result of Good Samaritan immunity statutes that have been enacted in most states,” according to Norman Pool, CEO of Network Medical Systems, Inc., a training center for the American Heart Association.

“Ashforth’s commitment to the AED program reflects our commitment to serve all of our client companies and all of their respective employees in every way we can,” noted Robert W. Hartt, Executive Vice President of Albert B. Ashforth, Inc.

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