Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski Signs Sweeping AED Mandate

Dec. 14, 2009 - PRLog -- On January 1, 2010 a new Oregon law goes into effect mandating placement of Automated External Defibrillators (AED defibrillator) in “places of public assembly” throughout the state.

Under this law, virtually every public and commercial building of 50,000 square feet or more of floor space in the state is required to have at least one AED. The Bill affects most asset classes, including: retail, industrial, hospitality (including hotels) and residential building types. Schools and places of worship are exempted from the AED mandate.

The protections of Oregon’s Good Samaritan Law extend to owners of covered facilities and to AED users. AED training is not required for the protections to apply. Studies have shown that an AED can be operated safely and easily by non-trained users. Audio instructions provide a step by step guide and built in safeguards prevent any misuse.

The law is the broadest mandate for the placement of AEDs in the United States thus far, and follows an increasing trend in legislation throughout the country mandating AED placement in public gathering places. The motivations are clear.  Sudden Cardiac Arrest kills 300,000 Americans each year and current survival rates are less than 5%.  That’s more deaths than breast cancer, HIV-AIDS and auto accidents combined. It is also the highest cause of death among youths – especially young athletes. That’s why 16 states now mandate AEDs in schools and at athletic events.

“Time will tell, but if the number of lives saved by early defibrillation at a number of major U.S. airports where AEDs are located throughout the terminal areas is any indication, the Oregon AED law will dramatically increase countless Oregonians odds of survival from sudden cardiac arrest.” states Bob Taggart, Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs for Annuvia, a national CPR/AED and First Aid training organization.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest is not the same as a heart attack and affects people of all ages, ethnicities and genders.  Numerous studies indicate that CPR combined with defibrillation from an AED within 3-5 minutes from the time of a collapse can increase a victim’s chances of survival to over 70%.  But the fact remains, in the majority of cases the game is pretty much over by the time the ambulance arrives. Thus, the presence of public access AEDs and bystander involvement is critically important to life saving early defibrillation.

Annuvia (http://www.annuvia.com/) is a leading provider of health, safety, emergency preparedness, and emergency response services in the nation. The company assists businesses and organizations with emergency training programs for CPR and AED use, first aid safety training, and customized consultative solutions to create safer, more prepared communities. Annuvia specializes in streamlining national programs for many of the nation’s largest organizations.

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Annuvia (http://www.annuvia.com) is a leading provider of health, safety, emergency preparedness, and emergency response services in the nation. It provides emergency training programs for CPR/AEDs, first aid safety, and customized consultative solutions.