Eagle Scout Project Aims to Protect Community Health
Blairstown scout Ryan Donlon’s Eagle Scout project could be a life saver. Literally.
Donlon plans to install an automated external defibrillator, better known as an AED, in Sycamore Park.
“We will be installing a kiosk in the park,” Donlon said. “It will house a heart information station.”
The kiosk is planned to be located near the park’s snack shack, Donlon said, so it will be centrally located.
Sycamore Park on Lambert Road is home to several baseball and softball fields, as well as soccer fields and a basketball court. The Blairstown dog park is adjacent to Sycamore.
Donlon, a member of Troop 140, has estimated the total cost to be $5,000. That would include the unit itself along with the building of the kiosk to house the unit and other details. He has set up a GoFundMe page to help with fundraising.
How the AED Works and Why It’s So Important
An automated external defibrillator is a computerized device that automatically analyzes the heart rhythm in people who are experiencing ventricular fibrillation to restore the heart rhythm to normal. Ventricular fibrillation is the uncoordinated heart rhythm most often responsible for sudden cardiac arrest.
When appropriate, it delivers an electrical shock to the heart to restore its normal rhythm. The unit does all the decision-making.
But you can forget all that jargon if you want, because while training is recommended, AEDs are designed so that just about anyone can administer them to a victim who has collapsed of an apparent heart attack. The unit gives audible, step-by-step instructions.
Donlon said as part of his project, he hopes to raise enough to pay for coaches and others who are interested to receive training.
AEDs are becoming as ubiquitous as pay phones once were. They can usually be found right in plain sight in government buildings, along with other places frequented by the public such as retail stores, theaters and sports venues.
Donlon, with assistance from his fellow scouts and friends Owen McLaughlin and Liam Jones, hope to have the AED in place this spring.
To donate to the GoFundMe, click here.
Joe brings decades of journalism experience to the Ridge View Echo, covering everything from local school boards to the U.S. Supreme Court. A former National Law Journal editor and Columbia Law School press officer, he now enjoys telling community stories in Blairstown, where he lives with his wife, Rose, and their two dachshunds.
- Joe Phalon, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/joe-phalon-contributing-writer/
- Joe Phalon, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/joe-phalon-contributing-writer/
- Joe Phalon, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/joe-phalon-contributing-writer/
- Joe Phalon, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/joe-phalon-contributing-writer/
