Applications have closed for the Palm Beach Fire Rescue's free defibrillator program

Diego Diaz Lasa, Palm Beach Daily News
·2 min read
Beyond funding the purchase of the 130 automatic external defibrillators, the Palm Beach Police & Fire Foundation also purchased two new demo model's for Palm Beach Fire Rescue's training sessions for residents.
Beyond funding the purchase of the 130 automatic external defibrillators, the Palm Beach Police & Fire Foundation also purchased two new demo model's for Palm Beach Fire Rescue's training sessions for residents.

The Palm Beach Police & Fire Foundation's Safeguard Palm Beach division announced Friday that it has closed applications for the joint program with Palm Beach Fire Rescue to deliver free automated external defibrillators to town residents.

Deliveries and training for the devices have already begun and are expected to continue until May, Palm Beach Police & Fire Foundation spokesperson Maureen O'Sullivan said in an email to the Daily News.

Of the 128 applicants, 12 have received the defibrillators and training, with 52 other applicants scheduled for delivery and training, O'Sullivan said.

More: Palm Beach aims to have 500 AEDs in public locations by 2025, fire chief says

The program follows Town Council approval of a resolution in March that allowed Fire Rescue to purchase and distribute 130 AEDs, paid for through a $150,000 donation from the foundation.

With the program’s goal of increasing the number of registered defibrillators throughout the town from 200 to 500 in the next three years, the current batch will bring the total number distributed by Fire Rescue to 339.

The program is part of the town’s larger goal of making Palm Beach the town with the most automatic external defibrillators in the U.S.

Key to this program, Baker told the Town Council in March, is the registration of the devices with both the town's Fire Rescue and emergency dispatchers.

"If a call for 911 comes out, our dispatchers know that there is an AED ... and we guide people through the process," he said.

Just as important, Baker said in March, is the Fire Rescue-led training sessions for those living or working at homes that receive a defibrillator, since the training will not be limited to them.

The training is not just for those who filled out an application, Town Manager Kirk Blouin said during the March meeting. Any resident who already owns an AED can reach out to Fire Rescue to have it registered with the town and receive training.

O'Sullivan said the foundation also had secured new training mannequins for Fire Rescue.

Diego Diaz Lasa is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at dlasa@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Registration closes for Palm Beach's free defibrillator program