Ensure the safety and of your congregation
Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S., taking the lives of over 366,000 people annually. Sudden cardiac arrest can strike anyone of any age, anywhere, at any time, without warning. Most of these cardiac arrests take place outside of the hospital, happening in gatherings such as churches, small groups, youth events, or worship nights. Without immediate emergency response, victims of cardiac arrest only have minutes to live. For every minute that goes by without a defibrillating shock from an AED, their chance of survival drops by 10%. Unfortunately, the average EMS response time is around seven minutes, meaning most of the time, necessary life-saving equipment and help does not arrive in time. As a result, up to 95% of out-of-hospital SCA victims die because of a delay in emergency response.
We help hundreds of churches install life-saving AEDs every year, and often receive questions about AEDs in a church or synagogue setting. How important is CPR? How much does an AED cost? How hard is an AED to maintain? What AED features should my church consider? How many AEDs does my church need? We’ll do our best to answer all these questions and more.
A Simple Life-Saving Solution
Cardiac arrest can strike anyone in your congregation, but certain risk factors such as age, diet, lifestyle, and underlying health conditions make certain congregations more susceptible. Sudden Cardiac Arrest is caused by an irregular rhythm of electrical activity in the heart, and can only be treated with an electric shock called defibrillation from an AED. Automated External Defibrillators are designed to be an easy-to-use, intuitive, and cost-effective life-saving solution.
Preparing for AEDs in the Church
Types of AEDs:
AEDs come in all shapes and sizes but all are designed to be used by either a professional or an untrained bystander to deliver a life-saving shock in a critical situation. However, AEDs have features that make them ideal for certain settings. For church or synagogue buildings, such as a worship center, chapel, classroom, staff office, or children’s wing, we recommend the Zoll AED Plus, Cardiac Science G5 AED, and FRx AED from Philips. These AED Church Packages have a low long-term cost of ownership and comes with features ideal for church settings:
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New AED,Rescue-Ready out of the box
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Simple interface. Designed with ease-of-use in mind for any rescuer
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A timed metronomeguides rescuers on CPRtempo
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Industry-leading batterylife (industry standard: 2 years)
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Eight-Year manufacturer warranty(longest in the industry)
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Daily, weekly, and monthly self-tests foreasy maintenance
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Rugged, durable unitwith a high IP rating and wide range of storage conditions
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Wall-mountedcabinetavailable
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AEDwall signavailable
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First Aid Kitavailable
Emergency Response Plan
An Emergency Response Plan lays out the exact steps your church leadership should take if a member, guest, worshiper, staff member, or volunteer has a sudden cardiac arrest on your premises. The ERP should include the specific instance of sudden cardiac arrest, noting the steps of emergency response as well as the locations of AEDs in your facility. Your church’s Emergency Response plan should be reviewed annually and made available to all church members, and should include:
- The creation of a Cardiac Emergency Response Team(CERT)
- The steps to activate the CERT team, notifying the local EMS, and handoff once paramedics arrive
- AED placement(s) within the facility and AED maintenance schedule
- Budgetary consideration for replacing old units, adding units to account for expansion/quicker response, annual AED maintenance, and replacing expired pads/batteries
- Cardiac arrest response drills
Maintenance Plan:
To ensure your AED is working and ready to save a life, the AED must be stored and maintained properly. The AED Plus, G5, and FRx perform regular self-checks and will signal when something is wrong. However, it’s recommended you check on your AED monthly and keep a record of annual maintenance, self-check history, and expiration dates for essential components.
- Check the green readiness indicator on the top right of your device
- Listen for chirping or beeping sounds indicating an issue with the device
- Ensure the pads and batteries are within their usable dates, reordering if either is about to expire.
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Send your AEDs to a biomedical service provider for an annual Preventative Maintenance check-up. Trained and certified technicians will clean your device, ensure it passes all tests, and alert you to any needed repairs or issues.
Featured AEDs
HEARTSTART FRX AED
The Philips FRx AED is a lightweight, tough, reliable device providing step-by-step voice instructions, CPR guidance and SMART biphasic shock technology. Optional pediatric key not included. The FRx is designed for ease-of-use and longevity
POWERHEART G3 AED
The Cardiac Science PowerHeart G3 AED, available in semi-automatic or fully automatic models, is equipped with STAR® biphasic waveform, voice and text prompts, and status indicators. The G3 is designed for clarity during critical moments.
ZOLL AED PLUS
The ZOLL AED Plus sets a new standard for ease of use in emergency situations, delivering voice, text, and visual prompts alongside real-time CPR feedback. The AED Plus supports rescuers with Real CPR Help®, a robust design, and low ten-year cost of ownership.
POWERHEART G5 AED
The Powerheart G5 AED from Cardiac Science boasts user-friendly features like dual-language functionality, clear voice and texts instructions, and variable escalating energy. The G5’s rugged reliability and smart technology ensures readiness, all backed by an 8-year warranty.
Frequently Asked Questions about AEDs in the Office/Workplace
No state specifically requires churches to keep an AED. However, several states have adopted laws requiring AEDs to be placed in “gathering places,” and many more states are requiring facilities like health clubs, gyms, dentist offices, parks, and public spaces to keep an AED.
What’s the best AED for my Church?
For Churches, we recommend the Zoll AED Plus, Cardiac Science G5, and the Philips FRx AED. Our AED Church Packages are designed with any size congregation in mind, and is a comprehensive package with everything you need to install the AED in your church. The price of a new unit is an investment, but the industry-leading warranty, long lifetime on pads, and four-year battery life means the low cost-of-ownership pays off quickly. All three AEDs are in-stock, supported by the manufacturers, and ship quickly.
How many AEDs should my Church have?
Saving someone from sudden cardiac arrest significantly relies on the amount of time that happens between the cardiac emergency and deployment of the AED. For every minute that passes after an SCA without a defibrillating shock, the survival odds decrease by 10%. Because time is so precious, AEDs should be never be more than three minutes (from emergency scene -> AED retrieval -> returning with AED) away from any given point in your church.
The exact number of AEDs in a church facility depends on several factors, including the shape and layout of your floorplan, and how many buildings are on premise. A good rule of thumb is to keep at least one AED per building, and one AED per floor. In many churches with large worship centers, separate children’s buildings, hallways and classrooms, and auxiliary offices/chapels, one AED is just not enough. A great proof of concept is putting your Cardiac Emergency Response Team to the test. Time how fast it is to retrieve the AED from different locations in your church. If the time between emergency and deployment is more than three minutes, you may need to invest in more AEDs.