For immediate release: August 11, 2004

For further information,

Contact - Leon A. Gaumond Jr., Executive Secretary 525-540

SELECTMEN ANNOUNCE DIFIBRILLATOR GRANT TO THE TOWN

(East Longmeadow, MA) The Chairman of the East Longmeadow Board of Selectmen, Gary DeLisle, has announced that the Board has received two new life-saving apparatus thanks to a state grant dedicated to the funding of Automatic External Defibrillators.

Two LIFEPAK 500 defibrillators have recently been received by the Town and have been assigned to the Fire Department, bringing their total within the Department to seven (7). The LIFEPAK 500 unit monitors heart rhythms, determines if a patient is in true cardiac arrest and then delivers an electric shock that, in effect, short circuits and stops erratic electrical heart rhythms. If a patient’s heart has actually stopped working (flatlined), the unit will not work; it can only be used when a patient is experiencing defibrillation.

“We are pleased to offer this life-saving equipment to the Town residents,” said Gary DeLisle, Chairman of the Board of Selectmen. “While I hope that this equipment is rarely, if ever used, it is a small comfort to know that our first responders have modern equipment and experience to save lives.”

DeLisle continued by stating that the Board of Selectmen, the Fire Department, and the Board of Health are unified in their commitment to continue to apply for further state and federal safety grants to expand our supply of defibrillators and to place these units in public buildings throughout the Town.

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