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Date: 3/23/2022
SOUTHWICK – Whalley Park and the town beach will soon have new – and important – live-saving devices that can be critical to helping someone survive sudden cardiac arrest.
Park and Recreation Director Cindy Sullivan said Westfield-based KEVS Foundation agreed to donate a portable automatic external defibrillator (AED) in December that will be installed at the park next month. Later this spring, the foundation will donate a second AED for the town beach.
Sullivan, also in charge of the town’s Senior Center, said Council on Aging as well as Park and Recreation staff will be recertified in how to perform CPR. A requirement of KEVS Foundation is that organizations receiving an AED must host an awareness program with their staff before receiving a device.
There also will be training for the public for hands-only CPR and how to use an AED. Two to six Southwick Fire Department members will provide training at Whalley Park on April 9. After doing demonstrations for about 15 to 20 minutes, they will give participants the opportunity to physically do it themselves.
Training will take place following the annual Easter egg hunt at the park. There will be a brief presentation about the training before the egg hunt begins at 11 a.m. When it ends, people who are attending the CPR and AED training will be organized into groups.
Sullivan said the training is open to the public and is a separate event – people can choose to participate in one or both events.
KEVS Foundation’s mission is to increase knowledge of hands-only CPR and increase awareness and availabilities of AEDs in communities to help prevent deaths in young adults and children.
Whalley Park will receive a Heart Sine Samaritan PAD 450P AED, which has a retail value of about $1,500. The town beach is expected to get the same model, though because of supply chain delays, Canning said it could be the similar Heart Sine Samaritan PAD 350P, with a retail value of about $1,200.
The unit at Whalley Park will be installed outside on the restroom building, a central location near the pavilion.
“The box has been installed and will be heated so it won’t freeze in cold weather. There will be signs in a few key locations in the park indicating we have an AED on site,” said Sullivan.
She added that having these devices in places where thousands of people gather throughout the year could result in a life being saved if an AED is needed.
“It’s always great to be prepared,” said Sullivan.
Susan Canning, the foundation’s executive director, said she is aware of five individuals who were saved because of a donation by the foundation that made an AED available.
“Being prepared also means training people how to use AEDs,” said Southwick Fire Chief Russ Anderson. “If you’re going to give the public a tool to use to save someone, it’s best to also give them the training so they know how to use the tools.”
He said that besides Whalley Park – and soon the town beach – AEDs have also been installed in schools, the library, the Senior Center, Town Hall, and in police cruisers and fire trucks.
The chief added that there have been emergency calls where an AED was used to help someone having a heart attack.
“Usually, if the police are first on scene, they will have the AED already set up and ready to go – if it’s not already in use.”
Sullivan said the town is “very grateful” to KEVS Foundation for its generous donation and for providing AEDs to Southwick. She also expressed appreciation for the Fire Department’s willingness to go “above and beyond” by providing CPR and AED training for residents.
KEVS Foundation was created in 2012 by Canning in memory of her son, Kevin Major, who died in 2011 from sudden cardiac arrest related to an undiagnosed heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. A graduate of St. Mary’s High School in Westfield, he had no symptoms of his condition, an abnormally enlarged heart muscle, prior to his death.
During the past decade, the foundation has donated nearly 350 AEDS to schools and organizations. Donations are limited to Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin and Berkshire counties in Western Massachusetts.
The federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says 5,000 people between the ages of 15 and 34 die annually from sudden cardiac arrest, which is not the same as a heart attack.
The American Heart Association describes hypertrophic cardiomyopathy as a common cause of sudden cardiac arrest in young people, including athletes. Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart’s electrical system malfunctions and the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating.
Sudden cardiac arrest can be triggered by a sudden blow to the chest – such as while playing sports – when the heart is electrically recharging between heartbeats. The CDC calls AEDs an effective treatment for the potentially fatal heart rhythm that can occur because of this type of injury.
KEVS Foundation also sponsors heart screenings for young people, which are crucial to early detection and also help to raise awareness of sudden cardiac arrest. Screenings include an EKG, height and weight measurements, review of family history, blood pressure check, education on CPR, and AED information.
There is no charge for screenings, which have a value of about $3,000. However, the foundation does request donations based on financial ability to be used toward purchasing AEDs. More information about the heart screenings or about the AED donations can be found at kevsfoundation.com.