Highland Beach goes to condos to teach; Delray has new defibrillator mandate
Cameron Abraham, a Highland Beach Fire Rescue firefighter/paramedic, explains to Dottie Turcotte how to position AED pads on a mannequin. Photos by Rachel O’Hara/The Coastal Star
By Rich Pollack
Jason Chudnofsky knows that having automated external defibrillators — AEDs — easily accessible when someone is in cardiac arrest can be the difference between life and death.
He also knows it’s important that people know how to operate the device and do CPR that is used in tandem.
“Having a tool to save a life without knowing how to use that tool does no good,” said Chudnofsky, a Highland Beach town commissioner and staunch AED advocate. “You can’t always rely on someone else.”
Throughout coastal southern Palm Beach County, with its large senior population, there is a growing emphasis on making sure defibrillators are accessible and that people are knowledgeable enough to use them and CPR properly.
Delray Beach, for example, now requires AEDs on every other floor of a residential building with five stories or more, while other municipalities are encouraging condo boards in their communities to install AEDs on multiple floors.
In addition, fire departments serving the coastal communities all incorporate AED training into CPR classes.
In Highland Beach, a town effort led by Chudnofsky is championing a new program that is bringing AED and CPR training to condos.
Rather than wait for residents to request the training, Highland Beach is coming to them and initiating the classes.
“We’re bringing it to each of the condos because we find that’s more effective,” said Chudnofsky, “It’s in the best interest of all residents for us to go to them.”
Geoff Squires, Max Mirochnik and Fred Daniels (l-r) practice giving chest compressions during a training session at a Highland Beach condo.
Taught by a certified instructor, the training sessions in Highland Beach are the result of a partnership between the Highland Beach Police and Fire Foundation and the town’s fire rescue department and are offered for free, with the nonprofit foundation footing the bill. Chudnofsky, who chairs the town’s police and fire foundation, is also behind Highland Beach’s proclamation of April as CPR and AED Awareness Month.
In addition, he helped the Coronado condominium board donate AEDs to the Highland Beach Police Department after residents decided they weren’t needed on every other floor because of the community’s proximity to the fire station.
In Delray Beach, an 18-month grace period, during which residents were educated about the new requirement to have AEDs on every other floor, is over and the mandates are now being enforced during fire safety inspections.
The new rule, included in a revised ordinance that also requires bleeding control kits on every other floor of a five-story or more building, has guidelines for commercial and other buildings where you’d expect large gatherings of people.
No other municipality on the south Palm Beach County coast requires AEDs on every other floor.
Delray Beach Fire Marshal Joe Mazzeo says that having AEDs on alternate floors, as opposed to just in a lobby, makes them more rapidly accessible to someone on higher floors and can save valuable minutes and save lives.
“Anything we can do to improve survivability is important and every second counts,” he said.
While AEDs are self-guided, with a recording giving step-by-step instructions, fire department leaders believe the AED training — in coordination with CPR — can have a beneficial impact.
Elyse Carhart, the community education supervisor for Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, which serves Manalapan and South Palm Beach, believes that the training helps build confidence in those who may have to use CPR and an AED.
“The more comfortable people are with doing something, the more likely they are to do it,” she said.
For Highland Beach residents like Dottie Turcotte, who took CPR classes years ago, the training offered in her condo proved to be a refresher that will likely make her feel more comfortable should she need to use it and an AED.
Turcotte said she had to know CPR when she worked with children but “I’m not sure I remember it.”
Like most of the area’s fire departments, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue offers free “hands only” CPR and AED training and will come to buildings or specific locations. Those classes do not offer certifications, although Boca Raton Fire Rescue offers CPR certification classes at a minimal cost.
“We’re always happy to see when people are using AEDs prior to our arrival,” says Lt. Karl Richards of Boca Raton Fire Rescue. “The early use of CPR and AEDs together gives the patient the highest sustainable rate of walking out of the hospital.”
In the classes she leads for Highland Beach condos, Diane Lea of Lifesavers Inc. has those participating do actual CPR on mannequins and has them work with the AED.
She is good at going beyond just the mechanics and takes time to explain the difference between CPR and defibrillation and why they should be used together.
“Instead of just saying ‘do it,’ I want them to know why they’re doing it,” she said.
CPR, she explains, is about getting oxygen into the body once the heart stops in cardiac arrest. Defibrillation is about getting the heart back into a normal rhythm.
“I wish everyone would learn CPR and AEDs,” she said.
AED tips
Having an AED accessible for use can make a difference between life and death. Here are tips to ensure your device is ready:
Set up the AED according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Register the device with the manufacturer so you’ll get updates and other important information.
Make sure the device is visible and accessible.
Put the address of the location on the cabinet and the device.
Designate two people to ensure the AED is properly maintained.
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