By EMS1 Staff
CLEVELAND — A paramedic who noticed large gaps of AED availability in areas of Cleveland is raising money to add a few more and increase access.
Paramedic Timothy Sommerfelt said that since AEDs are not needed to pass a public building inspection, there are big gaps in the city when it comes to finding one, according to NEWS 5.
“It’s a numbers game,” Sommerfelt said. “You might put up 50 AEDs just to have one be in just the right place at just the right time for someone who needs it.”
Sommerfelt is aiming to fill some of those gaps by raising money to add one or two AEDs to Gordon Square, a popular area of Cleveland, and hopes to inspire the city to follow suit by adding even more.
“Having something like a defibrillator or AED, we believe that is something like a catalyst for creating community,” Safety Coordinator Jeremy Taylor said.