Aed Sign Page 001

Salem Fire Foundation granting AEDs to local businesses

ByMary Louise VanNatta

AED sign-page-001By Martha Fast

Salem is a little safer and closer to its goal to of being the city with the highest save rate for sudden cardiac incidents (SCI) in the nation. This is thanks to the Salem Fire Foundation (SFF). Using donated funds SFF has placed 65 Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) in Salem Police cars and distributed 33 to organizations in the community.

Leading the nation in cardiac arrest survival rates is King County in Washington State with save numbers as high as 62 percent (the national average being under 15 percent). Salem Fire Chief Mike Niblock studied the King County model which succeeded in doubling its save rates over a 10-year period. One of the ways Salem could do that was making AEDs and training more available.

AEDs are intended to help heart attack victims until medical professionals can arrive at the scene; for every minute that passes, a heart attack victims survival rate drops 10 percent. This plan has been coupled with teaching every eighth grader hands only CPR and AED use last year. All of those who receive AEDs agree to provide training for employees and they are registered with the PulsePoint app so the public can quickly locate them.

A complete list of the businesses obtaining AEDs through the program (at a special rate) or receiving full or partial grants for is below, listed in order of their application date:

  • Salvation Army Lighthouse Shelter
  • Primary Care West, P.C.
  • Garten Services
  • Antique Powerland Museum Association
  • Northwest Rehabilitation Associates
  • Mid-Willamette Valley COG
  • Independence Elks Lodge
  • Recovery Outreach Community Center
  • United Way of the Mid-Willamette Valley
  • Bethel Baptist Church
  • Outward Church
  • Liberty House Child Abuse Assessment Center
  • Salem Area Chamber of Commerce
  • Travel Salem
  • Foothills Church
  • Center for Hope and Safety (4)
  • Salem Scottish Rite Center
  • Oregon Farm Bureau
  • Community Action Agency
  • Capital Park Wesleyan Church
  • VanNatta Public Relations/Spire Management
  • North River Road Dental
  • The Rock Box
  • Saxon Youth Football
  • Capital Park Wesleyan Church
  • Salem Aviation Fueling
  • Elsinore Theatre
  • Central High School

If you are interested in donating to the work of the SFF, acquiring an AED for your organization, or getting trained  go to salemfire.mystagingwebsite.com. Any money raised by the granting of AEDs goes back to buying more AEDs for the community.

For more information, visit  salemfire.mystagingwebsite.com.

The Salem Fire Foundation will be holding an after work event Sept. 9 at Roth’s West Salem Hospitality Center to share information about its work and launch its membership or sustainer program. To receive an invitation, visit salemfire.mystagingwebsite.com to sign up or email [email protected].

Mary Louise VanNatta
Mary Louise VanNatta