Public Access Defibrillators (AED)

The City of Margate is proud to provide access to Automated External Defibrillators (AED) in all of their City buildings. The access to these devices will aid in the rapid access to medical equipment in the case of sudden cardiac arrest. Early intervention and recognition is the key to saving a life. Along with the AEDs, Initiation of the 911 system and the rapid response by Margate Fire Rescue are three key elements to a successful outcome.

Programs

Over the past several years, advances in technology have provided several innovative opportunities to prevent unnecessary disability and death. One of the most important of these advances is the AED. The ease of use of AEDs by the trained lay public has led to the increasing development of PAD (Public Access Defibrillator) programs. The decreased cost of acquisition and upkeep of AEDs now makes it possible to increase further the availability and access to these life-saving devices.

The efficacy of defibrillation is directly tied to how quickly it is administered. Although the outside limit of the "window of opportunity" in which to respond to a victim and take rescue actions is approximately 10 minutes, the sooner the AED is utilized within that time period, the more likely it is that it will be effective and that a patient will have a normal heart beat restored and fully recover. 

In general, for every minute that passes between the event and defibrillation, the probability of survival decreases by 7 to 10%. After 10 minutes, the probability of survival is extremely low. The importance of rapid and positive intervention is reflected in the American Heart Association's (AHA) "Chain of Survival" concept.

Contact Us

If you have a PAD in your business please advise us so we can add your business to our list. For Training on these life saving devices, please call Fire Administration at 954-971-7010.