EDWARDSVILLE – March 31, 2017. Edwardsville Township Supervisor Frank Miles announced today
that an automated external defibrillator (AED) has been installed at the Robert C. Stille Edwardsville Township
Community Park, located at 6368 Center Grove Road in Edwardsville.
“When a victim is suffering from a cardiac incident, every minute counts, and that’s why it’s so important that
these lifesaving devices are literally within reach,” Supervisor Miles said. “The location of the AED at the Park
will be a first unit installed at a park in the Edwardsville area, and all Park and Township employees are trained to use them.”
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The defibrillators, which cost $1,354.00 each, were installed at Township Park and at the Township Office,
located at 300 West Park Street in Edwardsville. Signage will be installed at both Township Park and the
Township office to let residents know that the AED is available.
“Hopefully, we’ll never need to use them, but it’s reassuring to know that we now have access to these
devices,” Supervisor Miles said. “You never know when something is going to happen.”
According to the American Heart Association, there are more than 350,000 cardiac arrest cases a year in the
United States, and only 10 percent of those victims survive. In instances where a victim is immediately
administered CPR and defibrillation, their chances of survival are doubled.
Supervisor Miles noted the particular need at Township Park for the device, as the park is enjoyed by lots of
children playing. “I’ve heard of kids getting hit in the chest by a line drive or tackled in football, that blunt force trauma can disrupt the heart’s rhythm and can cause them to go into cardiac arrest,” Supervisor Miles said. “The only way to treat that is to immediately apply a defibrillator, which could be instantly lifesaving for that child.”
An automated external defibrillator (AED) is a lightweight, portable device that delivers an electric shock
through the chest to the heart. The shock can stop an irregular heart rhythm and allow a normal rhythm to
resume following sudden cardiac arrest. Sudden cardiac arrest is an abrupt loss of heart function. If it’s not
treated within minutes, it quickly leads to death. According to the American Heart Association, most sudden
cardiac arrests result from ventricular fibrillation. This is a rapid and unsynchronized heart rhythm starting in
the heart’s lower pumping chambers (the ventricles). The heart must be “defibrillated” quickly, because a victim’s chance of surviving drops by seven to 10 percent for every minute a normal heartbeat isn’t restored.
Edwardsville Township is comprised of the City of Edwardsville, Village of Glen Carbon and unincorporated areas just outside of these two municipalities. The Township Supervisor’s office is located at 300 West Park in Edwardsville and is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Monday and Friday and from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
Learn more about Edwardsville Township online at www.edwardsvilletownship.com or contact the Township Offices by phone at 618-656-0292.
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