Shocks through the House

The House of Representatives purchased three fully automatic Automated External Defibrillators (AED) that will be located in fire extinguisher cabinets on the Chamber level (next to the Sergeant-at-Arms Office), and in the mauka corridors on the 3rd (next to room 303) and 4th floors (between rooms 402 and 404).

In mid-January, over 40 staff and House members participated in a CPR/AED training course, earning a 2-year certification from the American Heart Association. (Check out a previous post, "Getting over the yuck factor", for more on the training).The House Defibrillator Program was coordinated by Lon Paresa, Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms.

The live-saving shock machines are alarm activated and should only be used in emergency situations. Clear and simple voice commands guide the user through proper application. The machines are safe and easy to use; they will not send electrical currents to a patients heart if it's not necessary.

Legislation about AEDs is now making its way through the House. The measure (HB 1537) protects individuals not covered under the Good Samaritan clause from civil liability when using the AED to help save a life. Rep. Tom Brower (Waikiki, Kakaako) introduced the bill to "see defibrillators placed in more buildings where our residents live, work and play."

HB 1537, RELATING TO AUTOMATED EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATORS, specifies that any person who provides for an automated external defibrillator training program is generally immune from vicarious civil liability resulting from any act or omission of a Good Samaritan attempting to use the device to resuscitate a person.

Photo: Rep. Ryan Yamane, chair of the House Health Committee, restarts compressions after the mannequin receives a faux shock from one of the three AED machines that will be placed in the Legislature by the House of Representatives.