Here’s
the thing about AEDs: They can make the difference between life and death in
cases of sudden cardiac arrest, and the more places that install them, the more
lives can be saved.
Trouble
is, if no one knows where to find them, they’re not going to do anybody any
good.
This
is the kind of problem that requires a creative solution, and a retired
cardiologist in Akron, Ohio may have found one.
Dr.
Terry Gordon is leading an effort to create
a smartphone game that will encourage local teens to help document the
locations of AEDs.
Dr.
Gordon has been working for years to get AEDs installed nationwide. His latest
crusade is aimed at helping emergency responders in the Summit County area know
if there is an AED nearby that they could use to save someone’s life.
The
object of the game is simple. If you find an AED, take a selfie with it and
mark its location in the app. People who find the most AEDs or cover the most
territory are eligible to win prizes.
Once
it’s been confirmed, the location information would then be added to a database
hosted by Artrus, a company that specializes in locating AEDs and providing
info to 911 dispatchers.
At
this point, the app is still in development. Dr. Gordon is working with Rubber
City Wizards, a software development firm in Akron, and hopes to roll out the
app by the start of the 2014-15 school year.
If
successful, the plan could prove to be a huge lift for emergency responders.
Thorough and up-to-date location info would make it much easier to find the
nearest AED, and therefore much easier to save a life.
Kudos
to Dr. Gordon for his creative idea, and here’s hoping it allows more people to
be saved by AEDs!
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