Naval Station Norfolk's New Defibrillator Program

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Ash Severe, Navy Public Affairs Support Element East

April 28, 2010 - NORFOLK (NNS) -- Navy Region Mid-Atlantic Fire & Emergency Services is initiating a public access defibrillation study and pilot program, May 1 to prepare for the implementation of the pending OPNAV instruction and to help refocus automated external defibrillator (AED) owners on program maintenance and training.

Naval Station Norfolk and Naval Support Activity Norfolk were chosen for the pilot due to the dense population and military facilities, and high number of existing facility-level AED programs.

An automated defibrillator is a computerized medical device that can check a cardiac arrest victim's heart rhythm and deliver an electrical shock to treat the underlying problem; the device uses a combination of voice prompts and text instructions on the display screen to guide the rescuer through the steps of performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and operation of the AED.

The pilot will study the effectiveness of two interactive, web-based software programs that maintain information on the readiness of facility AED's and track maintenance and training. The fire department hopes to increase interaction with facility AED coordinators and improve visibility of AED maintenance status and locations. A command's safety officer or other designated employee can access the site to ensure their own defibrillators are within standards, enter device maintenance information, and monitor the training status of designated facility AED responders. One of the programs being tested also provides online awareness and proficiency refresher training.

In an effort to reduce the time to defibrillation and improve cardiac arrest survival for Sailors, civilian employees, and visitors the secretary of the Navy has directed that the Navy and Marine Corps develop an AED program with consistent policy, oversight, support, and funding. An OPNAV instruction is pending that assigns responsibility for AED program oversight to Fire & Emergency Services.

The American Heart Association estimates that 250,000 people die in the U.S. each year from sudden cardiac death outside of a hospital. Early bystander CPR and defibrillation has been shown to dramatically increase the chances of surviving sudden cardiac arrest.

Fire and Emergency Services is using the theme "maintaining the momentum" for AED public education.

"We chose the theme because many Norfolk commands have already been proactive and progressive in establishing their own programs," said Kevin Janney, Emergency Medical Services chief for the department. "What we have seen though, on not just a Navy level but government-wide, is that the initial momentum and enthusiasm can fade and employees knowledgeable about the program get promoted or transferred and maintenance and oversight suffers."

Failure to maintain AED awareness and training or to properly maintain the devices can result in an AED failing to function properly when needed, or having employees unaware of the AED or hesitant to use it during an emergency.