CANTON, OH (November 9, 2012) – The Stark County Safety Council has announced that they have presented the first free Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) to the Stark Metropolitan Housing Authority.
The Safety Council AED Initiative Program was launched this past spring and offers significantly reduced price units to members, as well as free units to area non-profits at periodic milestones in the program. Program co-chairmen, Dave Dennison and Christopher Zabel, presented the unit to Annette Smith, SMHA’s director of human resources, who was joined by several other members of SMHA management.
“What we want to do is make these life saving devices more readily available to our member companies. AEDs aregaining in popularity and should be considered a necessity in every workplace, just as first aid kits have,” said Dennison. “Statistics show that these units, if available and applied in the first few critical minutes following a cardiac arrest, increase the possibility of survival to over 70 percent.”
To date, 23 units have been purchased by area businesses. With more sales, the safety council will be able to present more free units. The program is being made possible through a collaborative effort between AED manufacturer Zoll Medical Corporation, an area safety equipment distributor and safety council member U.S. Safety Gear, and the Stark County Safety Council.
Photo Caption: Program co-chair Chris Zabel, Jessica Kiser, Annette Smith, Mark Dunivant and Bruce Allison of SMHA, and co-chair Dave Dennison.
ABOUT THE STARK COUNTY SAFETY COUNCIL
The Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce, with support from the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Division of Safety & Hygiene, administers Stark County Safety Council. The mission of the Stark County Safety Council is to provide a forum for safety and health information, education and networking in Stark County. The Stark County Safety Council has been recognized as one the top five councils out of more than 80 in the State of Ohio for the past seven years, honored for its membership growth and excellent programming. There is no membership fee, and members enjoy many benefits, including potential eligibility for Ohio BWC rebates. Visit www.StarkCountySafetyCouncil.org for more information.###