News from New York State Office of General Services

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Lifesaving Devices Installed At Empire State Plaza

ALBANY, NY (03/12/2008; 0945)(readMedia)-- New York State Office of General Services (OGS) Commissioner John C. Egan today announced the installation of more than 120 Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in buildings in the Empire State Plaza and Capitol. Commissioner Egan was joined at a news conference today by the legislative sponsors of the AED law, Assemblyman Richard N. Gottfried of Manhattan and State Senator Kenneth P. LaValle, of Suffolk County.

This initiative fulfills the law’s requirements requiring a phased installation of AEDs in state buildings by 2010. It should be noted that the installation at the Empire State Plaza, Harriman Campus and 14 other facilities across the state will be complete by March 31, well ahead of the deadline. Overall more than 1,100 state employees have volunteered to be trained in the emergency use of AEDs. To date 93 units have been installed in the Empire State Plaza and surrounding buildings.

OGS is administering the management of the implementation of the AED program in the properties it manages and is further charged with coordinating the implementation for other state agencies. The AED initiative will provide an extra layer of emergency response to the Empire State Plaza and Capitol; where on average 15,000 people come each day for work or to visit the State Capitol.

“Sudden cardiac arrest is the cause of more than 200,000 deaths each year,” said Commissioner Egan. “Having access to an AED can be the difference between life or death. Through this lifesaving program, we will be able to speed response time to three minutes or less in OGS-managed buildings throughout the Empire State Plaza. Those precious minutes can provide a second chance and we will continue working to make sure our tenants and the public have access to emergency care."

"AED's save lives, and their presence is just as much an act of common sense as that of smoke detectors and fire extinguishers," said Assembly Health Committee Chair Richard N. Gottfried.

“I’m pleased that New York is ahead of compliance with legislation I passed requiring that all state-owned public buildings be equipped with AEDs by 2010,” said Senator Kenneth P. LaValle. “Time is critical when attempting to revive a person whose heart has stopped. Studies have shown that these easy-to-use, portable shock devices can and have saved the lives of sudden cardiac arrest victims. I believe that equipping public buildings with AEDs is as important as requiring the installation of fire safety equipment and am convinced that more lives will be saved as a result of this important law.”

State Health Commissioner Dr. Richard F. Daines, M.D., said: "There are no treatments we provide in which the outcome is more dependent on time. The rapid availability of this device in combination with the willingness of our workforce to participate in the training will save lives. This represents an improvement in public safety we work toward every day."

“I’m here today because of an AED,” said Jim King, a spokesman for the American Heart Association, and state director of the New York State Small Business Development Center. “Three years ago, I was playing in my league basketball game and suffered a sudden severe heart attack. Mr. Joe Willey, a janitor in the Colonie School system, revived me with an AED. I awoke with my teammates, including a priest, standing over me looking very concerned. The Heart Association made sure I didn’t need a priest's services. The American Heart Association believes AEDs are an important part of heart care, and I’m glad that OGS is ahead of the curve on getting AEDs placed into state buildings and training workers how to use them. This will save lives and families.”

An AED is a device about the size of a briefcase that analyzes the heart's rhythm for any abnormalities and, if necessary, directs emergency personnel, a Good Samaritan or bystander, on how to deliver an electrical shock to the victim. This shock, called defibrillation, may help the heart to reestablish an effective rhythm of its own.

The AED is easy to operate and uses voice prompts to instruct the rescuer. Once the machine is turned on, the operator is prompted to apply two electrodes provided with the AED to the victim's chest. Once applied, the AED will begin to monitor the victim's heart rhythm. If a necessary "shockable" rhythm is detected, it will provide step-by-step instructions so that the operator can deliver a cardiac shock to help restore the heart’s regular rhythm.

OGS has facilitated the necessary training so that first responders can fully understand the role of defibrillation in the cardiac chain of survival. Training in CPR and AED skills enables the rescuer to use all the steps, which significantly increases the victim's chance of survival.

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