AEDs Accessible in 7 Anderson Parks!
The Anderson Park District recently installed 9 outdoor AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators) in 7 parks. AED’s are used to help those experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. It’s a sophisticated, yet easy-to-use, medical device that can analyze the heart’s rhythm and, if necessary, deliver an electrical shock, or defibrillation, to help the heart re-establish an effective rhythm.
AEDs are now located in the following outdoor park areas:
- Beech Acres Park, restroom building
- Clear Creek Park (2) Oasis by the shelter & on the building by the driving range/pickleball courts
- Juilfs Park, on the building by the restrooms
- Kellogg Park, restroom building
- Riverside Park (2): all weather field press box and the restroom building
- Veterans Park, restroom building
- W. M. Johnson Hills Park, MariMac Manor (house)
In the case of an emergency, a person will go to the AED cabinet. The cabinet has instructions on it to dial 911. The 911 Operator will provide the caller with a code to the AED cabinet and they will simultaneously dispatch safety services (police and fire). The AED is then taken to the person in need. The AED provides directions for use.
The AED system for an outdoor application is very different than the common indoor application. Anderson Township Fire and Rescue worked with the Anderson Park District to develop a prototype outdoor AED system. A specialized cabinet with a heat source is required and an access code generated through the 911 system.
The first AED was installed in July 2023 at Riverside Park on the restroom/maintenance building by the baseball field main parking lot. The APD received a $1,300 contribution to install the outdoor AED from Ross Webster, owner of Mio’s Pizzeria at Clough Pike and Eight Mile Road. Mr. Webster is in an adult sports league that regularly plays at Riverside Park.
The funding for the new AEDs is a result of the Anderson Parks 25-year Park Improvement Plan approved by voters in November of 2023.