Oak Park gets lifesaving machine

A lifesaving tool that was once used only by ambulance medics or emergency rooms doctors is now finding its way into the hands of the general public.

It’s an automated external defibrillator (AED), best known as the electric paddles medical professionals use to kick start a stopped heart.

Thanks to a recent grant from the Community Foundation for Oak Park to the city, the small bedroom community will soon have three additional AEDs stationed in schools and the community center.

An AED is about the size of a small briefcase, and the American Heart Association and the American Red Cross have begun teaching people how to use the powerful device during CPR classes.

A check for more than $2,900 was presented to Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks at a town hall meeting last month on public safety in Oak Park. The grant was part of a matching fund promise made by the foundation with the county.

Within Oak Park, AEDs are currently installed at Oak Park Library, the community center and at Oak Park High School.

The sites for the new AEDs include Oak View High School, Medea Creek Middle School and an additional AED at the high school.

“The locations for these additional AEDs were selected by the Oak Park CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) in conjunction with the Ventura County Fire Protection District,” said David Ross, foundation president. “Personnel in all locations will be trained extensively in use of these devices, which will provide a higher level of protection for residents of all ages who live, work and play in Oak Park.”

Because they are only effective if used in the first three to four minutes of cardiac arrest, Diane Starzak, head of Oak Park CERT, said it’s important to have AEDs in high-traffic areas within easy reach.

“It’s going to become as common place as fire extinguishers now,” Starzak said.

Starzak said each site will have a team of five people trained in using an AED.

She also plans to help facilitate an AED training session with either the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross for Oak Park residents.

To learn more about CERT training, call Starzak at (818) 889-2361.