Orlando School Wins HeartSine AED During Silent Auction Benefitting American Cancer Society

NEWTOWN, Pa. - Jan. 6, 2015 - PRLog -- Recognizing the risk of sudden cardiac arrest to even the youngest of students, an Orlando PTA vice president snapped up a HeartSine® AED during a silent auction at the Hunters Creek Relay for Life, Bras & Boxers for the Cure event, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.

Tiffany Madrid, PTA vice president at Hunters Creek Elementary School in Orlando, saw the opportunity to obtain the lifesaving device for a reasonable donation for Hunters Creek Elementary School, a large elementary school located in a suburb of Orlando, Florida. She shared this information with PTA president Sandy Wilder and together they made this idea a reality.

The HeartSine samaritan® PAD 350P will be placed in the Physical Education Pavilion, in close proximity to the outdoor athletic fields. A second AED is located in the clinic in the center of the school.

Thankful to have the second AED on-hand, Assistant Principal Melissa Gordon says “We’re committed to providing as many resources as possible to ensure the success and health of our students. Having AEDs on campus ensures we are prepared for any cardiac emergency that may arise.”

With a large student body of 870, Hunters Creek Elementary School provides classes for Pre-K through 5 and special needs.

The AED was donated by HeartSine through Field Training Services, LLC, a HeartSine Authorized Distributor based in Orlando. The company provides CPR/AED, first aid and other emergency preparedness classes throughout the Orlando area.

During the Relay for Life event, the HeartSine AED netted the highest donation.

Says Lee Ricasa, owner of Field Training Services: “Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death on school property, affecting thousands of children each year. When early CPR and an AED are available, the chance of survival from sudden cardiac arrest can increase by 75%. As a retired emergency responder, I’ve seen firsthand that awareness and readiness are key to saving young lives at schools.”

About SCA

Sudden cardiac arrest is a condition in which the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating, causing blood to stop flowing to the brain and other vital organs. SCA usually causes death if it's not treated within minutes. CPR alone will not restart the heart, so the American Heart Association and ERC recommend CPR combined with early defibrillation (within three to five minutes) for the best outcome.

SCA claims more than seven million lives annually. It occurs abruptly and without warning, with 84 percent of SCA events occurring outside of the healthcare setting.

About HeartSine Technologies

HeartSine Technologies, a world leader in personal and public access defibrillators, advances the deployment of life-saving defibrillation therapy for the treatment of Sudden Cardiac Arrest in non-traditional areas of care.

Designed for use in public areas, the company’s entire line of Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) products leverages its proprietary, clinically advanced SCOPE technology to optimize the administration of life-saving treatment.

The company’s flagship product line, the HeartSine samaritan® PAD (Public Access Defibrillator), is IP56 rated for durability and exceptional reliability to meet the unique environmental demands of public use. Its industry-leading warranty and innovative battery/electrode Pad-Pak combine to give the samaritan PAD defibrillators the lowest total cost of ownership. HeartSine is active in over 70 countries worldwide in a wide range of environments, including commercial aircraft, military and shipping facilities, manufacturing plants, offices, schools and sports clubs.

HeartSine is based in Belfast, Northern Ireland and Newtown, Pennsylvania. To learn how a HeartSine AED can save lives, please visit www.heartsine.com/ or follow HeartSine at Facebook, and Twitter.