In a groundbreaking initiative to enhance public safety, 15 LYNX LYMMO buses across downtown Orlando are now equipped with automated external defibrillators (AEDs).
Through collaboration with the American Heart Association, AdventHealth and the city of Orlando, this initiative, launching in Heart Month this February, aims to increase the accessibility and use of AEDs in public spaces, potentially saving countless lives.
“The wellbeing of the Central Florida community is at the heart of everything we do at AdventHealth. AEDs and CPR are a person’s best chance of survival in the event of a sudden cardiac arrest, and with this initiative we’re making AEDs more accessible to the greater public and essentially creating more first-responders who can save lives,” said Dr. Patricia Guerrero, a cardiac electrophysiologist at AdventHealth.
An AED is a lightweight, portable device that delivers an electric shock to the heart when it detects an abnormal rhythm and uses visual and audio prompts to walk the user through the process. AEDs don’t require training and are simple enough that anyone can use them, including bus operators and members of the public. Through this initiative, new LYNX LYMMO bus operators are also being trained in hands-only CPR.
This is the first initiative to place AEDs on buses in Orlando and one of the first times the technology has been implemented on public transit in the U.S., significantly improving access to these life-saving devices in public areas. LYNX LYMMO buses in Orlando accommodate an average of 90,000 passenger trips per day.
AEDs remain underused in many public areas, even though 15% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in public places. In fact, only about 40% of people who experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest receive the immediate help they need before professional help arrives.
“Having quick access to an AED and knowing how to use one is crucial in the event of a cardiac arrest, doubling or even tripling a person’s chance of survival," said Jimmy Clarity, vice president of community impact for the American Heart Association in Orlando.
"Statistics show that of the people who receive a shock from an AED within the first minute of cardiac arrest, 9 out of 10 survive."
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