Written By: Aayush Dubey

Palo Alto officials have installed 52 automated electronic defibrillators (AEDs) throughout August to save victims of cardiac arrest. Palo Alto Fire Chief Eric Nickel felt the plan was necessary for the community to increase a victim’s chance of survival. According to American Red Cross, that chance of survival decreases by 10 percent for every minute without defibrillation.

“Defibrillators in the community makes life safer for everybody,” Nickel said. “The faster anyone can defibrillate a heart that stopped, [then] the person’s chance of survival goes up very significantly.”

According to Nickel, the 52 AEDs were only a start to their program, and there would be hundreds of defibrillators installed throughout the city in public areas. In addition to the program, Nickel states that there will be partnerships with other organizations to get the community more involved. “It’s really about the Fire Department helping the community and the community helping the Fire Department,” Nickel said.