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Town of Stratford, CT Adds AED Location System to 9-1-1 Center

New System will aid in locating AEDs in the event of Sudden Cardiac Arrest

Delray Beach, FL – September, 15, 2015— The Town of Stratford, CT and Atrus, Inc, have announced a new partnership aimed at saving lives in the community with the addition of Atrus’ AED Link^™ system.  This new information system will assist 9-1-1 dispatchers in helping callers locate life-saving automated external defibrillators (AEDs) available near sudden cardiac arrest victims.

With AED Link^™ 9-1-1, dispatchers can instantly view the location of registered AEDs near the scene of sudden cardiac arrest emergencies and instruct bystanders to retrieve one in time to help save a life.

“We will encourage AED owners to register their AEDs at Atrus’ National AED Registry, www.nationalaedregistry.com said Michael Loiz, Stratford’s Director of EMS and the 9-1-1 center. “It’s a totally free service and, by registering their AEDs, owners will also receive a number of important benefits including periodic reminders to check the device and timely reminders to change electrodes and/or batteries when the expiration dates approach.”

Atrus’ CEO and President Elliot Fisch said “The problem is that, until now, publicly available AEDs are rarely used in an emergency because people can’t see them and 9-1-1 dispatchers are unaware they are nearby,”

“The new system lets us instantly see the location of all registered AEDs near a sudden cardiac arrest victim so we can send someone to get one in time to help save a life,” Loiz added.

“The Cardiac Arrest Chain of Survival calls for getting an AED quickly,” Fisch said.  “But you can’t get one if you don’t know where one nearby might be.  There are too many stories of people dying in buildings that have AEDs or AEDs nearby.  AED Link was created to solve that problem.”

Stratford’s Mayor, John Harkins said, “This new information system could save someone’s life by making it easier to locate an AED. Stratford EMS continues to improve with regard to innovation and technology, which ultimately leads to better care and service for Stratford residents.

The system will be online by 10/2/15.

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About Atrus, Inc.

Atrus, Inc. (www.atrusinc.com) is a South Florida-based company that owns and manages the National AED Registry™ (www.nationalaedregistry.com).  The registry is a free service that helps individuals and organizations maintain their AEDs and manage their AED programs. AED Link™ is a licensed software program that can be integrated with all forms of computer aided dispatch systems and emergency medical dispatch software.  With the addition of Stratford, AED Link is installed in 30 EMS systems in California, Florida, Minnesota, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Indiana, North Carolina, Colorado, The Cayman Islands and Canada

About The Stratford EMS

The Stratford Emergency Medical Service is the basic and advanced life support ambulance / EMS provider for the Town of Stratford.  Established in 1977, our mission is provide quality patient care and safe emergency transportation to the sick and injured.  SEMS operates with both paid and volunteer members, EMR through Paramedic level care and offers a fleet of six ambulances and three paramedic intercept vehicles. For more information, visit (www.stratfordems.org).

About Sudden Cardiac Arrest

Sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death in the United States, killing more than 300,000 people yearly. Compact and portable, AEDs are designed to be used by laypeople with little or no training to deliver a shock that can save a victim’s life before paramedics arrive. According to the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association website (www.suddencardiacarrest.org), “It is essential that defibrillation be administered immediately following the cardiac arrest. If the heart does not return to a regular rhythm within 5-7 minutes, this fibrillation could be fatal.”