There’s been talk in Wellesley for years about the need to install automated external defibrillators (AED) on playing fields as a life saving measure. Concerns about everything from the security of the devices to the impact of extreme weather on them has been raised, but now Wellesley has a plan to bring AED’s initially to Sprague and Hunnewell Fields.
It’s unclear how soon AEDs might make their way to the fields, but the fact that authorization to buy the devices has been approved indicates it will happen sooner than later. AEDs can save lives of those who go into cardiac arrest, and on the town’s playing fields that could include anyone from athletes to spectators to officials.
Wellesley Director of Community and Public Health Lenny Izzo said in an interview this week that his department has been working with the Fire and Recreation Departments as well as other partners such as Wellesley United Soccer to bring AED’s to Wellesley’s fields, and may have an update on possible timing next week. Two AED’s costing about $8,500 total will be funded by the Health Department, with the Fire Department handling the purchasing of units that are from the same vendor that supplies town buildings with AED’s (school buildings use a different vendor). The AED’s are inspected regularly.
The latest Health Department effort was inspired in part by discovering that Babson College had deployed outdoor climate-controlled AED’s that are secured by lockbox technology that involves calling 911 to access a code. “Seeing that Babson had the lockbox system was a big win for us,” Izzo said.
The Health Department in the past has offered training to the public on CPR and AED’s, and will couple its rollout of AED’s with more training, Izzo said.
Wellesley’s town departments are welcome to do paid advertising on Swellesley to expand their reach.
The Health Department is looking to include Narcan in the lockboxes as well to help reverse opioid overdoses. The department has offered Narcan training in the past and will do more of that as the medication becomes available in outdoor boxes.
While the Health Department is now taking the lead on outdoor AED’s, the Recreation Commission was ready to act. At its July 23 meeting, the commission instructed Rec Director Matt Chin to come back to the body as soon as possible with information on how to get an AED at Sprague Field (see Wellesley Media recording).
That meeting kicked off with a resident in the healthcare field named Katie Stewart making a plea for the town to install AEDs at all of its athletic fields. She noted that sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in youth sports, and can happen without warning. “Survival depends entirely on what happens next,” she said, emphasizing the need for youth sports coaches and volunteers to be trained on AED’s.
Rec Commission Chair Paul Cramer picked up the topic, which was on the meeting agenda, explaining that he has been raising the issue for years and that now is the time to invest in AED’s. “I’m going to feel really bad if one of these times we say ‘Oh boy, if but for the fact that we had an AED there the guy would have survived,'” he said.
During the Commission’s discussion, issues such as legal concerns (what if an AED was damaged and was not usable in an emergency) were raised, and it was suggested that town counsel be consulted on how Wellesley approaches this. Chin is now working with the Health and Fire departments on the plan.
Wellesley Public Schools has portable AED‘s that its trainers brings to fields and to all school events at sites that do not have the devices, according to Athletic Director John Brown. The concern about installing AED’s at fields has centered around securing them, he said.
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Thank you to the Town of Wellesley, the Health Department, Fire Department, Recreation Department, and all involved in moving forward with AED installation at our main athletic fields. This is an important step in ensuring the safety of athletes, spectators, and the broader community.
We’d like to note for the record that this initiative was first brought forward by Wellesley United Soccer Club, which began discussions with the Town about outdoor AEDs and lockbox systems earlier this year.. Philippe Gabriel President of the Club and the board assigned this task to Dr. Alcy Torres, WUSC’s Director of the Medical Department, who served as the Club’s representative in these conversations with town officials before the proposal was formally voted on and approved. We are grateful to see these early discussions now becoming a reality through the Town’s leadership and collaboration.
We look forward to supporting this rollout and helping promote CPR/AED training for coaches, volunteers, and community members.
Alcy Torres, MD, FAAP
Dr. Torres, thanks for sharing this additional background. Bob
Great to hear about making AEDs (and Narcan) more available. I understand that there are many details to address in making the system secure, but I’d also point out that speed of access to these remedies is critical. We (I’m a CPR instructor) often say that every minute of delay in achieving defibrillation leads to a 10% decrease in the probability of being successful. While I don’t have a similar comment about Narcan, I think it’s intuitive that the faster one administers a reversal agent to someone who is not breathing, the better the outcome. So – we need to be sure that the 911 call is answered immediately and that there is no delay in delivering the code to open the box.