Cardiac arrest and other life-threatening emergencies can happen anywhere, even in your workplace. Giving CPR and using an Automated External Defibrillator can greatly increase the victim’s chance of survival. Automated external defibrillators are portable, electronic medical devices that automatically sense potentially life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias and either automatically deliver or advise the user to deliver electrical stimulation to re-establish normal heart rhythms. They are often stored in public locations for use in an emergency and, while they can be lifesaving, there has been a history of malfunction issues.

On Dec. 13, 2007, Congress unanimously passed a resolution to set aside June 1-7 each year as National CPR and AED Awareness Week to spotlight how lives can be saved if more Americans know CPR and how to use an AED. In the declaration, Congress asked states and municipalities to make AEDs more publicly accessible. The city of Maple Valley recognizes the importance of AED’s and has pursued and received grant funding to place AED’s in all city owned buildings, as well as,the Maple Valley Police Department through King County Sheriff’s Office funding has AED’s in each of the patrol vehicles.

Please call 425-413- 8800 or visit the American Heart Association website for more information and remember CPR saves lives.

Sincerely,

Mayor Sean P. Kelly