Annapolis, MD (Dec. 15, 2003) - Anne Arundel County Executive Janet S. Owens today announced that the County, through a public/private partnership with the Cliff R. Roop Cardiac Support and Education Foundation, has placed Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) in seven County buildings. With the Foundation's assistance, the County will place an additional seven or more AEDs in County buildings by this spring.
As of the end of November, AEDs are currently available in the following County buildings: - The Heritage Complex Office Complex
- The Police Training Academy
- The Northern District Police Station
- The Ordnance Road Corrections Center
- The Jennifer Road Corrections Center
- The County Council area of the Arundel Center
- The County Courthouse
"We owe a debt of gratitude to the Cliff R. Roop Foundation for enabling the County to place AEDs in so many County buildings," Ms. Owens said. "When someone suffers a sudden cardiac arrest, AEDs are a vital link in the chain of survival." This is a multi-year program that will require ongoing training and funding. The County has been conducting AED training for several years. As AEDs are placed in County buildings, additional personnel are trained. During their annual in-service training this past spring, the Police Department and the Detention Center completed AED training for all of their personnel. As AEDs are installed, the Fire Department is notified and information is put into the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system. This allows the Fire Department dispatcher to inform the caller of the location of an AED in the building. In public buildings, the AEDs are being placed in readily available clearly marked locations. Signs are being posted in strategic places throughout the buildings to advise individuals where the AEDs are located. The Cliff R. Roop Foundation is committed to increasing the chances of surviving sudden cardiac arrest in Anne Arundel County through fund raising and awareness education that supports the strategic placement of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and corresponding training opportunities. The foundation was created as a project of Leadership Anne Arundel in honor of County Councilman Cliff R. Roop and places AEDs in public buildings in Anne Arundel County. For more information about the Cliff R. Roop Cardiac Support & Education Foundation, please contact: Brenda L. Desjardins, Phone (410) 990-1050. | 
