An AED can save a life – but only if one is nearby.

That’s the driver behind the Milton Fire-Rescue Department’s new “AED Library” program, which lets people borrow an automated external defibrillator for an event in the city. There’s no charge and no catch to have this critical piece of equipment on hand at something like a family reunion, wedding, championship game, church gathering, or some other event that brings a lot of people to a confined space.

To learn more about this program, check out this video -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgK0FiqgIRE -- or visit www.miltonga.gov/AEDLibrary. On that webpage you’ll find the form to request an AED; that completed form along with whatever questions you may have can be emailed to AEDlibrary@miltonga.gov.

For every minute that a person suffering from sudden cardiac arrest goes unaided, their chances of survival drop 7 to 10 percent. And while First Responders will come as quickly as they possibly can, they cannot be everywhere at once. So having citizens around who are ready, willing, able, and equipped to act can make a HUGE difference.

Yet, for understandable reasons, many households, businesses, and organizations don’t have AEDs of their own. And because of that, there are many gatherings of large crowds – and the more people you have, the higher chance someone will suffer from cardiac arrest – at which this critical tool isn’t available.

The Milton Fire-Rescue program aims to fill this gap in multiple ways. Participants will get an AED as well as specific, step-by-step voice instructions how to use it.

This is one of many offerings through Milton Fire CARES to bring vital healthy resources – whether it’s medical checks, education, equipment, or more – directly to citizens. Learn more about Fire CARES’ programs and services at www.miltonga.gov/FireCARES. A related one is Pulsepoint, an innovative, interactive application in which qualified bystanders get alerts when someone has a cardiac arrest; get details at www.miltonga.gov/PulsePoint.