Darien Again Designated a ‘HEARTSafe Community’

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HEART Safe

Heart Safe

HEARTSafe

As of July 2014, 101 of the state’s 169 cities and towns had been designated “HEARTSafe Communities,” according to the state Department of Health. As of June 2014 all Fairfield County municipalities except for Fairfield, Easton, Weston and Bridgeport.

Here’s a news release from Darien Health Department:

Darien has been notified by the Connecticut Department of Public Health and the American Heart Association that the town once again meets the renewal requirements for being designated as a “HEARTSafe Community.”

This three year designation recognizes Darien’s continued commitment in providing improved cardiac response and care to residents and visitors utilizing the “Chain of Survival” concept. Recognition was first conferred to the town in 2009.

The four vital links to the “Chain of Survival” include early access to emergency care, early advanced care, early cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and early defibrillation. Darien far exceeded the standards established to be a HEARTSafe Community and has actually improved upon those requirements since first receiving the designation in 2009.

Award criteria are population based and relate to the provision of cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training and the availability of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) throughout the community as well as rapid response to emergency calls.

Some highlights include:

  • Award guidelines require the training of 50 citizens in CPR – Post 53 certified 379 individuals in AED/CPR last year.
  • AEDs are currently available at 59 locations, while the minimum requirement for a community with Darien’s population is to have 10 sites. Locations with AEDs include town owned buildings, the Mather Center, Weed Beach, Pear tree Point Beach, the library, the schools and private locations such as the YMCA, and the country clubs.
  • To meet early access to emergency care (911 calls), Post 53 statistics for January to March 2015 showed 388 calls with the average first response ambulance time being 6 minutes 18 seconds and 133 Stamford paramedic intercepts with the average response time of 9 minutes 25 seconds.

Obtaining the designation as a HEARTSafe Community represents a true community effort of not just the vital fire, police, and emergency medical services, but also of various town departments, schools, businesses and individuals that provided training opportunities and purchased publicly located automated external defibrillators (AEDs).

Just as important are those citizens who took the time and effort to become CPR/AED certified. Darien Post 53 was and continues to be our community training center for the American Heart Association.

Jayme Stevenson, Darien First Selectman said:

“I’m very proud of our community for supporting the Connecticut Department of Health’s HEARTSafe Community initiative.

“Through the hard work of Darien’s Health Department staff in cooperation with Post 53, the Darien Police Department, Darien’s three volunteer fire departments and the Darien Public Schools, as well as the voluntary participation from an ever growing number of community partners, Darien has not only met but has exceeded the requirements necessary to earn this important designation.

“Community awareness and skilled response saves lives.”

Molly Larson, the Public Health Nurse for the Darien Health Department coordinated this award application effort and Darien EMS-Post 53 Director Ron Hammer together with Joan Gildea of Post 53 provided considerable assistance.

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