Photo courtesy of Cap. Jason Kroeger

Through funding from grants and donations, the Guthrie County Public Health Department was able to purchase several Automated External Defibrillators for the county.

Health Services Director Jotham Arber says that many have been placed in places where many people gather publicly, as they may be needed more often in such locations. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio that there are still 15 devices that need to be set up in different locations, and asks the public for suggestions.

“If folks know of an area that is AED deficient where they don’t have an AED and they have not had the CPR training and AED training, we’d love for them to reach out to us, and you can request an AED. So while we have all of these AEDs, we’d love to be able to get those out. We’d love to come out there. The training is free. We do the training here, we can do the training at their facility. We want to make sure that people have that.”

Arber explains that this current program is what could be considered a preemptive step to preparing for a possible countywide emergency medical service, by allowing volunteers and residents an opportunity to help those in need while an ambulance makes its way to the location. He adds that the AEDs are fairly easy to use once individuals are trained, and even help the users set things up properly. To request an AED in an area where you believe it is needed, contact Guthrie County Public Health through their website.